


Ben10 and a Vampire Capu2

by Bakuganman



Category: Ben 10 Series, Rosario + Vampire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:59:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 78,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29120100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bakuganman/pseuds/Bakuganman
Summary: (DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ben10 or Rosario Vampire, just this story) Another year is beginning at Yokai Academy with everyones favorite monster harem and American hero! New aliens, new adventures and of course, new enemies. What's more; Ben's newest, and only, monster transformation has a mind of its own! Can Ben survive another year, even with Gwen and Kevin backing him up? (This story takes events from the R+V Anime and Manga, and takes place during Ben10: Alien Force)





	1. Chapter 1

Here's some quick facts about what's going on:

1) This series is NOT immediately after the 1st fanfic, its roughly a few months after, meaning by now its up to the canon events of _Ben10: Alien Force_ and during _Rosario+Vampire Capu2_. Also meaning that Kevin has joined up with Ben by now, and Ben has unlocked the transformations that he did not get from Yokai Academy's monsters'.

2) This prologue takes place during the summertime as opposed to Ben still going to school. However, Ben has been brought back to America (reluctantly I might add, the plumbers heard about Ben's "death" and pulled him out of there) instead of staying and finishing school in Japan with Moka and the others.

3) I am doing the events of _Alien Force_ , but NOT all the episodes. Only the ones I feel were actually necessary to the canon, while at the same time making them part of this canon. This prologue of course, being one of them.

* * *

A few weeks ago, Ben fought Mike Morningstar, a member of the Plumbers that was only searching for life energy to look young and hot. It reminded Ben when he battled those mermaids back in Yokai Academy. He was just glad that Moka and the other girls were safe in Japan and didn't have to fight him, his heart couldn't take it if they got involved. Sigh... he missed them dearly.

The Yuki-Onna/Snow Woman, Mizore...

The 2 Witches, Yukari and Ruby...

The busty and overly-friendly Succubus, Kurumu...

And of course, the one who changed his life forever. The 2-in-1 Vampire...

Moka...

He was withdrawn from the school when Azmuth somehow found out Ben had "died" there. Ben also learned that Azmuth is also in fact an adviser to the Plumbers, and it was his idea to send Ben to Yokai Academy in the 1st place upon request from the Headmaster. Ben never learned WHY he was sent there, but assumed it was to take care of the corrupt Security Committee. After teary-eyed goodbyes and very tight bear hugs, Ben was forced to go back home.

To say he was upset was an understatement, an entire month after returning he didn't do anything. Didn't eat, sleep, go to school or even go out of his home. Hell, he didn't even go to a Sumo Slammers Expo that was held just yesterday!

Gwen was worried about her cousins well-being. Ever since leaving that school, it's like a part of him was missing, as it was left back in Japan 100's of miles away. She regained hope for him when Ben met Julie Yamamoto, the 2 get along together very well... guess he really DID learn something from Japan after all. Having girls fighting over him everyday was good for something it seemed.

Kevin Levin, who joined Ben in his adventures after finally learning his lesson, was also worried about Ben. He became the little bro he never had... sometimes never wanted, but still...

To think they used to be bitter enemies, now here he was worried sick about Ben. When Ben asked for his help with the DNAliens, he was shocked. After all they've been through, he didn't think Ben would ever ask for his help with anything. Just like Gwen, he felt that Ben meeting Julie was a nice change, one that needed to happen. Especially after hearing Gwen and Ben joke about him going to a school with ACTUAL monsters... even though they insisted it wasn't.

Yeah... he'll believe it when he sees it...

( **AN:** Theme song.)

_{Instrumental}_

_It started when an alien device did what it did..._

(Ben, as a 10-year-old, reaches for a "watch" and it clamps onto him.)

_And it stuck itself upon his wrist with that it hid._

_Now older, with his powers, he's still no ordinary kid!_

(Ben is now shown to be 15. He goes to slam down on a image of Swampfire, but it changes itself to the Vampire Form right as his palm hits the faceplate, changing into said form.)

_He's Ben 10. (and a vam-pire)_

_Enrolled at a school for monsters, their in for a big surprise..._

(Mizore, Ruby, Kurumu and Yukari enter in that order; with Kurumu and Yukari pulling each others hair all the while. Ben and Moka then appear, about to kiss or Moka got for his neck, but a new girl with red hair gets in-between them with Kou. This girl appeared to be related to Moka somehow...)

 _He'll turn into an alien before your very eyes!_ ( **AN:** Think of any alien Ben had become through this series so far.)

_Monsters are sexy, sneaky, slim and strong; their any shape and size!_

(Kurumu appears first, hands behind her back and puffing out her large chest deliberately. Mizore is second, peaking out from behind a pillar. Yukari poofs into existence with a bunch of washtubs and tarot cards, and Moka appears last. Upon getting to 'shape and size'; a random crow shapeshifts into Ruby, and the red haired girl pulls out a hammer with Kou's face on it, posing like she's about to hit you across the face with it.)

_Ben 10! (and a vam-pire!)_

_Though stationed in Japan, he's still on the case!_

_Still fighting evil on Earth, and space!_

_He'll never stop til he grad-u-ates..._

_For he's still the baddest kid to ever save the DAY!_

(The OG Aliens all make appearances, with the new Vampire Form coming in last. Upon facing a giant gorilla-like alien; he looks angry as his eyes once again go red... but he also starts to slowly change into something _bigger_.)

_BEN 10! (and a vam-PIRE!)_

(A few scenes flip from the first fic every few seconds: Ben first encountering Inner Moka as Fourarms, the aerial battle with Kurumu as Stinkfly, Way Big kicking Amalgam away, Ripjaws swimming around the swimming pool during the 'mermaid incident', and finally the Vampire Form making quick work of Kuyo. For the final scene, in a gymnasium; Moka jumping on top of Ben for some reason, which gets her Rosario taken off... but also accidentally causes Moka to press down on the Omnitrix while the selection screen was on, turning Ben into the Vampire Form. Inner Moka and the Vampire Form are on opposite sides, then they run towards each other.)

 **Inner Moka: Know...** _(jumps off-screen)_

 **Ben (Vampire Form): Your...** _(jumps off-screen)_

 **Both: PLACE!** _(Inner Moka's foot and Ben's Vampire Form's fist collide, causing a huge explosion)_

_{Song End}_

**Prologue: Page 1**

Ducking behind a pillar, Ben avoided some gunfire, which were actually the fingers of a Highbreed... eww. A pink ball of energy barely missed this Highbreed's head, it retaliated by firing more of its fingers. Currently, Ben and company managed to track down a Highbreed Officer and managed to corner it in a warehouse. Despite their attempts to subdue it, it was putting up a hell of a fight. "Its trying to run!" Shouted Gwen.

From on top of a piece of machinery, Kevin jumped onto the Highbreed's back to try and slow it down. "Get off me, swine!" Said the Highbreed, tossing Kevin off its person. Kevin regained his balance in midair and slid on the floor.

"I got it!" Shouted Ben, activating his Omnitrix and selecting an alien. This alien was humanoid, all white, small as a baby and had a large mouth. It had what looked like headphones on the sides of its head connected to an MP3 player-like appendage, and a cassette tape on each of its legs. It basically looked like a walking amplifier. "ECHO-ECHO!"

Like Ditto, Echo-Echo split itself into 5 individuals, cutting off the Highbreed's escape route. Punching the ground, the Highbreed knocked 2 of the Echo-Echos' back and leapped away. Luckily, Kevin managed to recover and absorb the floor, making him tough as a rock. He give the fleeing officer a rock-hard uppercut, stunning him.

"So much for _I got it_ , Ditto 2.0" Kevin said. Ignoring his friends/rivals comment, each Echo-Echo jumped over Kevin one-by-one while saying:

 **Echo-Echo #1:** Hey!

 **Echo-Echo #2:** I'm...

 **Echo-Echo #3:** All...

 **Echo-Echo #4:** Over...

 **Echo-Echo #5:** It.

Getting up, the Highbreed had no time to react when 5 toddler iPods dogpiled him, breaking a tall wooden crate. "Don't touch me, vile creature" said the Highbreed, turning his head away. That's when it noticed a device that looked like a rocky doughnut. Attempting to shake off the Echo-Echos', he got up and moved his way over to the rock pastry-like device.

"Don't let him touch that thing, it's a Teleporter Pod!" Shouted Kevin, knowing what that device was. Since being released from the Null Void, Kevin had allot of black market dealings under his belt, his knowledge of alien tech rivaled Grandpa Max's. Using the strength he inherited from absorption, he tossed rubble to try and knock the Highbreed out...

He missed.

CLACK! BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!

 **Highbreed:** You fool! You damaged the transmission field!

In a zap of energy, both the Highbreed and all copies of Echo-Echo were gone!

-TIME BREAK-

Meanwhile in Japan, or more specifically Japans monster realm, we see a pink haired girl walking up to a school. Boys around her were drooling at the sight of her stunning looks, but she paid them no mind. She only had her mind on one boy, her special friend, one that meant so much to her...

Benjamin Kirby Tennyson.

Its been 4 months since he left back for America against his will, but to her, it felt like 4 years! She met Ben completely by accident almost a year ago, but now she was wondering if it was fate. Meeting him seemed to be just that for her friends: a stoic snow woman, 2 happy-go-lucky witches and an amorous succubus. In his short time here, Ben helped allot of monsters of her world, herself and her friends are just a few examples. He was a complete human, someone out-of-place in her world, but an extraordinary one at that.

 **"Thinking of him again, are we?"** Asked a tough female-voice in her mind or rather, her Rosario cross (which was glowing now), interrupting her thoughts. Inside, was her true power... an S-Class super monster vampire, but it was also a polar opposite personality. Since meeting Ben, she mellowed out... a little. She was still as arrogant as ever, but even she missed Ben deep down.

He touched both their hearts.

"Yeah, I can't help it, other me. I miss him so much" said the vampire to her Rosario.

 **"True... those transfusion packs are nearly as satisfying as his blood"** said the inner vampire. She'd never admit it, at least not directly, but even she would love to see Ben again.

"You know what I mean" said the outer vampire.

 **"I know Moka, we DO share a body after all"** said the inner vampire.

"Do you think we'll see him again someday?" Asked the outer vampire, now known to be Moka.

The Rosario was silent for a moment before finally answering. **"... I don't know, Moka. I honestly don't know. But if we do, we'll... someone's coming!"** Said the inner Moka, the light of her Rosario dying out.

"MOKAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Shouted a young voice. From down the road, a young girl skipped over to the vampire, wearing a witch's hat. "Moka! Good Morning, I... hey, are you ok?" Asked the girl in the witch's hat. This girl was the smartest, and youngest girl to ever enroll into Yokai Academy, they're school. Her name was Yukari Sendo, a 12 year-old witch. She was a little TOO smart for her age, as she was well aware of... M-rated activities.

"Huh... oh, sorry I'm... just a little sleepy" Moka lied.

"... Ben?" Asked Yukari, already knowing the answer.

"Ben" Moka admitted with a sigh. The 2 friends walked up to the school gate in silence. Up ahead; they see they're friends Ruby, Kurumu and Mizore chatting. Apparently Kurumu and Mizore started an argument (again) and went to Ruby for advice, since the poor succubus was frozen in ice seconds later. That's when they all noticed Moka and Yukari coming up.

"Good morning Moka, Yukari! How are you guys?" Asked the older witch in a cheerful voice. Believe it or not, Ruby used to be just like Moka, having another persona anyway. Thanks to Ben though, she was able to find herself again. She never got to properly thank him though, he was deported before she got a chance. Likewise, Kurumu and Mizore weren't exactly the friendship types, they used they're powers to try and take what they wanted by force. Since meeting the American, they changed for the better.

After Ben left, they went into depression, he was the only person in their lives who actually tried to understand them. When he was withdrawn, it left a wound deeper than a 1000 knives. They have gotten over it, but that doesn't mean they still don't miss him to death.

"Fine" answered Moka, though the look on her face gave her away. Kurumu approached her and gave her a tender hug.

"We ALL miss him, Moka. But what can we do?" She said, hating the fact she was giving up on her self-proclaimed Mate of Fate, but really what CAN she do? It's not like they can pay for expensive plane tickets like it was nothing. They had passes to the human world, but they were only good in Japan. Mizore also joined to hug, making the warm moment slightly cold, but it didn't effect the mood.

The 2 witches watched they're friends, one of them couldn't put up with it anymore! There WAS a way to see Ben again... and it was free of charge. "Oooooooh! Cut it out, guys! We WILL see him sooner than you think!" Yukari shouted. Kurumu, Mizore and Moka gave her a questing look; Ruby gave her one that silently said: "be quiet right now!"

"What are you talking about?" Asked Moka.

"Yeah. I like your positive outlook kid, but let's be real. As much as we want to see him again, it's not like we can go to the human world AND catch a train that runs to America for free. That bus driver won't even take us..." said Kurumu.

"I'm serious, ya jiggly G-cup! We can visit him and no one will ever know! Me and Ruby have been working on a way" said Yukari, making the others look right at Ruby.

"Is that true?" Asked Mizore, hopeful. "We really can see Ben again?" Asked Moka, also hopeful.

Ruby just sighed, she really wished Yukari won't blurt out stuff like that.. even though it was 100% true. But still, the magic they were using was highly advanced, even for Ruby herself. Just like her fusing with her plants back on Witch Hill, one wrong move... and everything comes crashing down like Jenga blocks! "Well... yes, it is possible, but..." said was saying, but a high-pitched scream of joy came from 'jiggly G-cup'.

"Your serious?! We can see Ben again?! HOW?! TELL US HOW, ALREADY!" The succubus begged... no really, she went down to her knees.

"It's a long story..." Ruby answered.

"It's summer. We got time" said Mizore.

-TIME BREAK-

During the time gap after Ben left, Ruby become a staff member at the school and got her own living space by default. Taking the group to her quarters, the 19-year-old witch told them about a spell in her spellbook that while powerful, could be highly unpredictable. This spell was able to teleport things from point A to point B, but bringing them back was another matter. 1 false chant, 1 miscalculation or any incorrect timing... the spell could send you anywhere, even places you shouldn't be or can't live through.

For once, the girls intently listened to yet another one of Ruby's "stories", this time actually paying attention to detail.

"... and that covers it. Still, me and Yukari have yet to test it on a living thing. And I haven't came up with any back-up spells should this either actually work, or indubitably fall. We weren't going to tell you until after we were done, we wanted it to be a surprise. But SOMEONE had to spill the ramen, didn't she?" Ruby said, giving the girl in question a look.

"Then lets do that now!" Moka pretty much demanded, even her inner self was surprised at her commanding tone. If there was a chance to see Ben, even a 1% chance... she was gonna take it!

"Moka, I know you want to see Ben. We ALL do, but I..." Ruby tried to explain, but then Moka's Rosario glowed. Whether it was Moka or her inner self wasn't entirely clear, but Ruby knew better than to piss Moka off... EITHER one of them.

Sighing, Ruby gave in and got out her spellbook and wand. Working together, her and Yukari created a magic circle on the wall. Because someone needed to keep this portal open; Ruby decided Moka, Kurumu, and Mizore would go first then at the last second Yukari would follow behind them. Ruby herself would stay behind to keep it open long enough for them to make it through safely, as well as balance out the magic to prevent any unwanted mishaps. Plus, Ruby figured that since Yukari would be joining them a few seconds later anyway, she could ask Gwen to help cast the spell again once everyone wanted to head back.

Pretty simple, right? Sadly, not so much.

Kurumu and Mizore argued yet again, this time about who would go after Moka. Ruby, while trying to remain focused on the spell, attempted to calm them down before they fought in the middle of her own room. When that didn't work, Moka got in-between the succubus and snow woman, telling them to stop and that it didn't matter.

It mattered to them apparently... so much so that Mizore screamed: "Then I go before that whooooooooooore!" And as the saying goes, SAY it... don't EXHALE it. In short, her icy-cold breath blew the vampire and succubus into the portal at the same time. Because 2 people went in instead of one at a time as planned, the circle simmered and shifted, before becoming unstable and just fizzled out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Prologue: Page 2**

A portal opened up above, and out fell a pink haired vampire and a busty succubus, screaming as they landed. The portal then disappeared. Getting they're bearings, they girls looked around... sand... that's all they saw. There were a few rock formations as well, not that it helped determine where... or when... they ended up.

"Ow... what happened?" Asked Moka, getting up and brushing herself off.

"Wherever this is, I got a feeling we're not in Japan anymore" said Kurumu, doing the same as Moka while also rubbing her head.

 **"Japan? I don't think we're even on earth"** said the Rosario. "Your kidding, right?" Asked Moka, beginning to worry.

"Um, no I'm not" said Kurumu.

"No. Not you, Kurumu. Her" said Moka, pointing to her Rosario.

"Oh, well what does she think?" Asked Kurumu. "She doesn't think... this is earth either" said Moka.

Kurumu would have laughed at the ridiculous statement, but she knew that Inner Moka was as smart as she was powerful, so she didn't question her theory. The 2 girls then covered they're ears because they heard ringing noises for unknown reasons. Guess they weren't the only ones here, but something about the ringing sensation felt... and sounded... familiar, somehow...

-TIME BREAK-

Despite landing in an unknown location, the Highbreed continued to attack Echo-Echo and its clones. After the living MP3 player dodged his assault, he attempted to strike again, in which an Echo-Echo responded by shouting a sonic storm, pushing the Highbreed back. Suddenly, the ground shook and seconds later, a large Mongolian Death Worm-like creature shot up from the sand.

 **Random Bat:** WHEEEEE! _(appears in front of the worm-like aliens mouth)_ You know who I am! Its me Kou and boy, its great to be back! This worm-like alien is a Dravek; a huge, mean predator. When hunting, they prefer to sallow prey whole, but they have a row of razor-sharp teeth just in case. They can also burrow at incredible speeds despite their size. And... _(the Dravek closes its mouth over Kou)_

 **Echo-Echo #2:** The hell? Was that Kou?

Echo-Echo could've sworn he heard that annoying voice somewhere before... dismissing that thought, he jumped away to avoid the Dravek's jaws from swallowing him. The Echo-Echo clones screamed sonics at the large insect, but it didn't seem to work. Diving back into the sand, it shot up seconds later and caught an Echo-Echo, dropping it "down the hatch". Apparently Draveks' don't like the taste of bodysuits that contain living sound-waves, so it spit the Echo-Echo up into the others, making a bowling ball knocking into bowling pins sound.

Turning its attention to the fleeing Highbreed, the Dravek charged at it, an Echo-Echo managed to grab its tail at the last second. The Highbreed shot its fingers at it, but they had no effect either. The sand-worm was catching up fast, its mouth now directly above the Highbreed...

"Look out" called Echo-Echo, saving the Highbreed by using a sonic scream at point-blank range on the worm on top of its head. It worked, the Dravek felt sound-waves go all the way down its body, immobilizing it. The Highbreed then shot more fingers into it while it was vulnerable.

Deciding that these 2 tasty-looking snacks weren't worth the trouble, or the pain; the Dravek dove back under the sand and for a lack of better words, it swam away. "What was that thing?" Asked Echo-Echo, the clones re-entering its body.

"A Dravek. Their kind are numerous on... er, _in_ this planet" the Highbreed answered.

"Then we better get moving" said Echo-Echo, walking past the officer. "We?" Asked the Highbreed. Surely this sad excuse for a being didn't mean...

"Yes... WE. You couldn't defeat it alone, I couldn't defeat it either. If more of them come, we must work together" said Echo-Echo.

"I will do no such thing" the Highbreed stated.

"I don't like this anymore than you do, but if we want to ensure our survival, we have to try. So, um... how DO we get off this planet, whatever its called?" Asked Echo-Echo.

"We are on Turrawuste, a desert world. It's only good for a relay station. The damage must have shifted the teleporters focusing axis and brought us further out than it should have" said the Highbreed.

"So if we find it, can you fix it?" Asked Echo-Echo.

"There will be no need. We just to avoid smashing it, like with a rock" said the Highbreed.

"Ok, so where is it?" Asked Echo-Echo.

"Impossible to tell from out here" said the Highbreed.

Echo-Echo then climbed up a rock formation. "For you maybe" he said, letting out a sonic scream. A moment later, a light flashed in the distance. "That way! It'll take a day or 2 to reach on foot. Let's get moving before more Draveks' get the drop on... er, drop _under_ us" said Echo-Echo.

-TIME BREAK-

Near the bottom of a hill, a Dravek is seen swimming around. The camera then focuses on 2 life-forms on top of said hill. "UGH! It's so hooooooooot!" Complained Kurumu. She and Moka didn't know where they were, so they decided to follow the sound they heard earlier. Kurumu, who watched one too many scary movies thought that was a BAD idea, but they had nothing else to go on where they were so hopefully the sound would lead to a village or something.

 **"Ugh... I'd rather deal with Kokoa's daily schemes than listen to Kurumu bitch and moan"** said Moka's Rosario, though Inner Moka never got a response back. Kokoa is Moka's younger sister. Her hot-headed, crazy and over-dramatic sister. She showed up at the school suddenly and demanded to see her "real sister", but there was no way that choker was coming off. She wasn't to happy about that, and got pretty violent when she didn't get her way.

VERY violent.

She's even been using the narrating bat Kou as a weapon; it had the ability to shape-shift like Ben did. A few weeks ago, Kou seemed to have run away, no one knows where he went. "Kurumu, I'm hot too, but lets just keep moving" said Moka, who was also getting tired from the succubus' groaning.

"WHYYYYYYYYYYYY?! Can't we just take a little rest?" Kurumu groaned.

Moka was about to answer, but noticed something in the distance. "Kurumu! LOOK!" She shouted.

"What n...?" Kurumu asked. Looking up, she saw the same thing Moka did... WATER! A pond of it! Of course, Moka didn't need water for drinking, but the succubus did. They're instincts kicked in and they ran to it, hoping it wasn't a mirage. Then, the 2 Japanese girls felt the ground below them vibrate...

-TIME BREAK-

"If I know the way, why do I need to be the one 10 paces behind?" Ben asked the Highbreed.

"Since I'm forced to travel with filth, I'd rather not see it rub it's behind" said the Highbreed. To recap, while Ben was Echo-Echo, he had an itch in said location. The Highbreed didn't like it for some reason, everyone gets an itchy butt sometimes, right?

"Oh, that's all it was? Sorry, I had an itch" Ben tried to defend himself.

"That makes no diff..." the Highbreed began to argue. Then they both heard screams... girl-like screams...

"I thought you said no one else is here?" Ben asked. He couldn't put his finger on it, but didn't those screams sound like...? No, it couldn't be! They were back in Japan miles, no... light years away! Exhaustion from the heat left him, and he ran toward the sound in a full sprint.

"Where are you going, human?" Asked the Highbreed. When he didn't get an answer, he groaned and followed. He hated to admit it, but this human was wise beyond his years, they DID have to stick together for survival... but how was that supposed to work if he ran after everything that made a sound?

Ben saw it, but he couldn't believe his eyes. It must be the heat... yeah that was it. His mind was just playing tricks on him. He blinked to try and shake off this illusion... no dice... this was real... and so were they! It was Moka and Kurumu... but how did they get here? And why? Not wasting another second, Ben turned in his watch, picked an alien and slammed down. "BIG CHILL!" He said as he flew towards toward them as fast as his wings could carry him.

No! 5 Black pillar-like towers closed in on them! He was getting closer, and he could see them clearer. It WAS definitely them... but he wasn't gonna make it! He still had to try!

He didn't notice it, but as he rushed towards them... for some reason... his Omnitrix symbol began glowing dark green again...

-TIME BREAK-

Was this how it was gonna end? They'd be swallowed by the Very Hungry Caterpillar? _'Why me? All I wanted was to see Ben, and this is what I get? Was that too much to ask?!'_ Both Japanese monster girls' thought simultaneously. When they first felt the vibrations, they of course attempted to move. But every direction they chose to go in would be stopped by a tall, black thing that began to close over them...

Something grabbed them just as the black pillars shut. Moka was now hovering over the desert sand, did Kurumu get them out of there? Looking to her left, she saw said succubus being held by blue hands... strangely cold, yet familiar blue hands...

No way, it couldn't be. Looking behind her, her question was answered... the well-known symbol of a certain wristband. That's not possible, he's... "If you wanted a warm beach spot, try the Bahamas next time" said a raspy, yet cooling voice.

Both girls looked straight up and if they weren't in danger at the moment, they're eyes would have sparkled with joy. It WAS him! Here of all places! Ruby's spell worked after all! Still, they did it. They met they're American hero once again... well, while in the alien form of Big Chill, but this was close enough for now.

With his friends safe, Big Chill flew back towards the Highbreed, but then he heard a humming noise coming from his Omnitrix symbol. Looking down, he noticed it was glowing in a dark green light before fading out. He never saw that color before, but what really freaked him out was: **"Your welcome."**

Big Chill visibly flinched, clearly not expecting to hear a voice in his head that was slightly deeper than his human form's. _'Who the hell was that? Ugh, please don't be another Ghostfreak-show'_ he thought. Now that he thought about it, where did that sudden speed boost come from? He's never flown that fast before, but now wasn't the time, he had other things to worry about.

Mainly, the oversized worm bait coming at them.

Turning around quickly, Big Chill blew an icy-breeze and froze the Death Worm's mouth shut, it was struggling to open it. "You wasted all that effort for 2 human females?" Asked the Highbreed, annoyed. He was all for sticking together as long as he got out of it, but when your _Naked & Afraid_ partner turns and runs off...

"These are not just some girls!" Said Big Chill. If only this Highbreed knew...

"Gullible prey all the same, lured out with the right bait..." said the Highbreed.

That's when Kurumu's claws grew out.

"Listen here, ya purple-faced creep! I'm far from gullible!" She yelled at the Highbreed. He would have talked down to her about being a lesser being, but did most humans have 4-5 inch long and sharp nails? And what was that energy radiating off of her? He never felt anything like this before, only heard about it in stories of monsters, but they weren't real... right? While Big Chill, Kurumu and the Highbreed were arguing, Moka's Rosario lit up.

" **Can you get those buffoons to knock it off?"** Asked Inner Moka. "Probably not, inner me" Moka responded. All of them then heard a cracking noise, they turned to see the Dravek beginning to break free of his icy muzzle.

"That things getting loose" said Big Chill.

"Your powers of deduction, are truly staggering" said the Highbreed, sarcastically.

"Come on, guys. Lets make tracks, before we become snacks" said Big Chill. The girls gladly listened, but...

"How dare you, mongrel. You, issue commands to me? Scoundrels like you do MY bidding!" Said the Highbreed.

SHATTER!

The ice shattered, and the Dravek swam towards them with its mouth wide open and if it had facial expressions, saying it was pissed was an understatement.

"And I bid you to fight!" Ordered the Highbreed, seeing the Dravek approach.

"Oh sure, since you asked so nicely" said Big Chill, flying into action. He flew straight into the Dravek's mouth and phased out of its body, freezing it again, but it broke out quickly this time. When that didn't work, Kurumu grew out her own wings and gave the Dravek 5 cuts across its neck, making it screech in pain. The Highbreed fired darts at it, in the same location to add to its agony.

Big Chill landed next to Moka, who was trying to pull her Rosario off. He took her hand to stop her. "What are you doing? Your going to hurt yourself" he said.

"Ben, I... we wanna help too!" Moka responded. Then a voice, the same one from before, spoke to Big Chill. **"You know you want too... she's a fine piece of ass"** it said. Ignoring the arrogant tone in his mind, Big Chill did what Moka wanted.

FLASH!

"What in the name of Augstaka is that light?" Asked the Highbreed, feeling a surge of power from behind him, then shielding his eyes from the blinding rays.

 _'Ugh, you just HAD to let her out, didn't ya?'_ Thought Kurumu.

( **AN:** Inner Moka fans, its time... play her theme)

The Highbreed never seen anything like this before, not counting the green-shirted human traveling with him. This other female gave off similar energy as the blue-haired one... but now allot more of it. Her appearance also changed significantly. Even the Dravek backed away a little, most prey it encountered wasn't this scary. _When the rosary seal over her breast is removed, Moka's innocent self vanishes, and her inner vampire... awakens_.

 **"Its been a long time, hasn't it Ben?"** Inner Moka purred. She wouldn't dare say it aloud, but she was happy to see Ben/Big Chill again. It felt like part of her that she lost, was found, for both Mokas'.

"Too long, my lady. May I have this dance?" Joked Big Chill, bowing gentlemen-like. **"You may"** Inner Moka said, holding out her hand in a similar fashion.

Despite Big Chill's frail stature, he held superhuman strength, and he used it to 'dance' with Inner Moka. He let her go after spinning her around once, sending her straight toward the Dravek. She twisted herself in midair and prepared a kick... the alien worm didn't have a chance to open its mouth again as Inner Moka kicked it 20 feet across the desert, making its entire body pop out of the sand, and sent it into a rock formation with a painful sounding crack. It gave a painfilled roar in response.

If that thing had bones, they'd most likely be broken right now.

 **Kou:** _(flies out of the Dravek's mouth and onto a rock, his body smooshed cartoon-style. Using his wings to push himself, he popped off a few seconds later)_ Ugh, I was called into the writers casting call a few weeks ago, and this is what I get? Screw this, I'm going back to Miss Kokoa! WHEEEEE! _(flies away)_

The Highbreed was completely stunned, he's never seen such power! Dravek's were the ultimate predators. They're exoskeleton was heat and cold resistant, perfect for this desert climate, and they'd either lie in wait or scoop prey up immediately before their meal could register what was happening. Yet, it was literally beaten back by a seemingly human female. Could the myths be true... did monsters really exist and if so, did they live alongside aliens long ago?

"You've still got it" said Big Chill.

 **"Was there ever any d...?"** Inner Moka began to boast, but much too her and everyone's surprise, they heard a VERY angry-sounding hiss. The Dravek shot back up and swam toward them again!

"Wow, even your kick didn't work" said Big Chill. Inner Moka was also shocked, whatever this thing was, it was very durable.

"Ugh, we can't keep this up! We'll die of heat exhaustion! Ben, keep me cool" said Kurumu, hugging Big Chill.

SMOOSH!

 _'Aw, come on! Your gonna do this now?!'_ Big Chill thought with an unamused look, yet slightly red tint on his cheeks.

 **"Don't you wanna just cup a feel before you die?"** Asked an arrogant voice in Big Chills head.

 _'Shut up, hormonal thoughts... or whoever you are'_ thought Big Chill, hoping this foreign voice could hear his own thoughts. Kurumu had a point though, they were all tired from the heat and working up a sweat. They needed to rehydrate soon... or being eaten alive would be the least of they're worries.

Hearing what the bluenette said, something clicked in the Highbreed's mind. "YOU! Necrofriggian, freeze him!" He commanded.

 **"He did that already, Einstein. It didn't work"** said Inner Moka.

"FROM INSIDE! Stay inside, until I say otherwise!" The Highbreed said, annoyed at this girls tone. Geez, all females changed personalities at the most inconvenient of times. With nothing to loose at this point, Big Chill got free from Kurumu's hug and flew into the Dravek's mouth. Doing as the Highbreed said, Big Chill kept blowing ice inside the Dravek. Quicker than before, it froze up, but he kept going. After 4 seconds, Big Chill could have sworn he heard this things heart rate slow considerately.

"NOW!" Shouted the Highbreed.

With the signal given, Big Chill stopping 'chilling' and phased out of the large insect. With half its body frozen from the inside-out, ntoo cold to move its muscles, the Dravek fell limp. The Highbreed shot darts at it to crack the ice and Inner Moka gave the worm-flavored Popsicle an uppercut kick, effectively shattering it to pieces. All that remained of the creature was the lower half of its body, which they could see inside of now. It was kinda gross, but the threat was finally subdued

The Highbreed moaned and felt to its knees. His body was also shaking.

"What's wrong?" Kurumu asked, the 3 friends making their way to the alien.

"DON'T... touch me... I merely require... a moments rest..." said the Highbreed, his torso beginning to shrive up.

 **"Rest won't cut it, tough guy. Your dehydrated and wasting away"** Inner Moka pointed out.

"Quite literally. I've got this covered" said Big Chill, taking flight and exhaling a gentle cooling breeze at his comrades. Not too strong to freeze them solid, only enough to cool them down. Kurumu and Moka/Inner Moka were thankful.

"Ahhhh... much better" Kurumu sighed happily, loving this moment. Inner Moka didn't say a word, but the relief on her face was all the confirmation Big Chill needed to see he did a good job. The Highbreed however...

"S-stop... desist!" He hissed, waving off Big Chills help.

"Why? I'm trying to help you" asked Big Chill, as he stopped being the groups living air conditioner. Even if the Highbreed and him were gonna be enemies after this was over, Big Chill would have thought this Highbreed would swallow his pride and appreciate this.

"Yeah, 8-eyes! Ben's trying to be nice!" Kurumu defended, also kinda pissed because her Mate of Fate stopped cooling them off.

"I did not... request his assistance" the Highbreed answered.

"I know, but I wanted too. So... chill, dude. Heh, see what I did there?" Big Chill responded, making a corny joke.

"I did not see anything" the Highbreed stated.

"Um, no. Your missing the point. It's like the heat/humility thing I said earlier... its a pun, see?" Asked Big Chill.

"... Regardless... I can locate sustenance myself..." said the Highbreed, still not getting the joke. His chest then opened up to reveal 2 root-like tendrils that dug into the sand.

"Ewwww!" Said Kurumu, making a grossed-out face. What this alien Ben was traveling with just did something she thought was worse than what Stinkfly could do.

 **"I... didn't need to see that"** said Inner Moka, covering her eyes with a hand.

"And you called me gross" mumbled Big Chill, looking away for a second.

"There is water... beneath the sands... one just needs, to look deeply enough... THERE!" Said the Higbreed, apparently finding some water.

"So... your friend is some kind of plant?" Kurumu asked Big Chill.

"He's NOT a friend, but I didn't know Highbreeds' were plants either" said Big Chill.

"We are not some kind! The Highbreed, is the ONLY kind!" Answered the Highbreed, finding offense from both Kurumu and Big Chills statements. A few seconds later, he fished the water above the sand for the others.

-TIME BREAK-

A while later, evening fell on the desert planet. After drinking they're fill (to which Outer Moka got some blood from Ben afterwards), the group continued they're journey to the teleporter. Ben filled Moka and Kurumu in on what was going on: where they were, where they were going, and how they were getting off this planet. While walking, Moka and Ben heard something moving in the sand.

"W-w-what was that?" Asked Moka, clutching onto Ben.

"I heard it too, stay close to me" said Ben, wrapping an arm around his vampiric friend.

"I didn't hear anything" said Kurumu, choosing to ignore the closeness of Ben and Moka for now.

"Neither did I. Just you human, which is the same as nothing" said the Highbreed, continuing to walk on.

"Great. He sounds like Kuyo" Kurumu commented. As they approached a rock formation, they felt the ground rumble. Now they all knew something was wrong. "Ugh, now what?" Asked Kurumu.

"More Draveks?" Asked Ben.

"Worse..." said the Highbreed, turning to look behind. Looking for themselves, the rest of group noticed small cockroach-like insects making their way towards them. "Dasypodidae!"


	3. Chapter 3

I put in some real world facts in here, might as well teach you something while you read :P

* * *

**Prologue: Page 3**

Killing cockroaches were hard; they can survive up to 7 days without a head (9 if their lucky), can go without eating for a month, hold their breath underwater for over an hour and even if they get stomped/squished, they might not actually be dead yet. Apparently... all of these interesting facts also applies to alien ones that inhabit a desert-like planet that were currently surrounding our heroes and the Higbreed.

Using the rock formation behind them to their advantage, Ben (now Jetray) and the others flew up to the top of it. The Highbreed had wings of this own, while Kurumu had to carry Moka. But these "Dasypodidae", as the Highbreed called them, were very persistent and simply climbed the rocky surface after their targets. Jetray attempted to paralyze them with his neuroshock beams and even though it was working, their was just too many of them. The roach-like insects eventually caught up with their prey and climbed all over them in a unified attempt to subdue them. The girls and Highbreed threw them off, but it was only a matter of time before shear numbers overwhelmed them.

"So Ben, ARGH! How's that minute coming along?!" Asked Kurumu, as Ben had bragged this would just take a minute.

"We're on a different planet, a minute could be an hour!" Jetray answered back, though it was a poor excuse. He had to think of something quick, or everyone's gonna be lunch for the entire cast of _Twilight of the Cockroaches_. Sure he could release Inner Moka again, but even the burst of energy after her summoning would have a temporary effect. Besides, this would be more of an annoyance to her rather than a challenge...

Scanning the area, Jetray noticed another rock formation 10 feet away from the one his friends were on. It was smaller, and the top was too uneven to stand on, but it had a slope near its base... it was a high-risk move, but it just might work!

"GUYS! This way!" He called, flying down towards the smaller rock. They had no idea what he was planning, but what did they have to loose? Shaking and tossing off the rest of the alien arthropods, Kurumu carried Moka down to where Jetray flew, with the Highbreed unfurling his wings again.

Landing in his desired spot, Jetray moved the symbol on his chest and tapped it. In a flash of light, he changed into an alien resembling Wildvine but instead of pods, this alien had red petals around its body and root-like legs that had stones in its soles. He also had a not-so elegant scent, smelling rotten like a swamp, which leads to his name: "SWAMPFIRE!"

"Up here, guys!" Called Swampfire. Kurumu, Moka and the Highbreed ran up to where the plant-like creature was waiting after they landed. Just as Swampfire thought, the roaches followed.

"Ok, now what?!" Asked Kurumu, getting nervous.

"Wait for it..." said Swampfire, a fireball forming on a hand he raised, intently watching the swarm closing in on them. Just as they were halfway up the slope...

FLOOSH! BOOM!

Swampfire launched the fireball into a nearby rock, breaking it and causing a sandy landslide. The drawback was the sand from underneath Kurumu, Moka and the Highbreed was also sliding down; making the alien and the 2 monsters lose their balance. Swampfire was prepared for this of course and used vine-like tentacles from around his body to hold them back. Due to the force of the landslide; the Dasypodidae were either thrown back, buried underneath the sand itself, or both.

After it all settled, it was quiet and there was no sound of digging.

"Whew, that was close" said Moka.

"Your awesome, Ben!... But you reek" said Kurumu, hugging him, but she was now regretting it. The Highbreed just looked at Swampfire.

"Your welcome" said Swampfire.

"How dare... you filthy... UNHAND ME THIS INSTANT!" Shouted the Highbreed, pulling himself out of the vines.

Releasing his girls from his grip, Swampfire jumped down and got in front of the Highbreed. "What is your problem? You don't like the aliens I become, I get it! But cut me some slack, would ya? I was only helping you!"

"YEAH! He just saved your life, twice today! Be thankful he didn't let you bathe in sand, you jerk!" Said Kurumu, hugging Swampfire again, ignoring his smell this time.

"I know your not exactly friends, but as a vampire, I get your pride. At least pretend to be appreciative" said Moka, walking in front.

The Highbreed ignored them and walked off. "Remember, 10 paces" he said.

"10 paces behind, I'll give you 10 paces..." Swampfire grumbled, his 2 friends following behind him.

-TIME BREAK-

Night has fallen, at least it wasn't hot anymore; but like all deserts, it was now extremely cold. To keep his friends warm, Swampfire lit a ball of flame on his finger... although the look on his face said he had another reason for it, perhaps being thrown 10 paces ahead was more accurate. Eyeing a spot with small rocks, Swampfire saw a possible camping spot.

That, and Kurumu and Moka looked like they'd fall asleep leaning against him. The poor things. Although they knew about Ben's adventures, this was their first time experiencing one for themselves.

"This looks like a good of a place as any for a campout" said Swampfire, stopping.

"We shall walk through the night" answered the Highbreed.

"Um, no... we shall camp HERE for the night" snapped Swampfire, pointing down at the spot with his other hand. The girls were more than happy to oblige, sitting on 2 of the 4 stones.

"I wouldn't use that tone with me... lesser creature" the Highbreed snapped back.

Swampfire's/Ben's temper started to flare up. He was growing tried of this Highbreed. "Oh really?"

"Ben, please don't fight" said Moka. "Yeah, let us sleep!" Moaned Kurumu, exahusted.

"You'd do well to listen to your female friends; you have yet to deal with my full strength! See? The cool night air has begun to restore me!" The Highbreed said triumphantly. While he did look healthier than he did earlier, he looked no different in Swampfire's opinion.

"Oh yeah, your practically glowing" said Swampfire, sarcastically.

"I don't glow" said the Highbreed. Swampfire just facepalmed.

"Uh no, that's just an expre... ah, forget it. Ya know what? FINE! Just go then!" Swampfire snapped.

"I will. You've over-lived your usefulness to me" said the Highbreed.

"So have you. Go find another 'lesser being' to get you off this rock!" Swampfire snapped again, walking back up to the girls.

"Maybe I will, any lesser will do as I say" said the Highbreed.

Then, they all heard a roar of a Dravek, reacting accordingly to its cry. They couldn't deal with another one of those things again. "And I say, we camp for the night" the Highbreed answered. "Gee, why didn't I think of that?" Swampfire sarcastically asked.

-TIME BREAK-

"I don't care how many times you swear it, I don't believe in fairy tales Gwen" said Kevin. Back on earth, Gwen asked Kevin if he could possibly reconfigure the teleporter so they can get to where Ben is. He complied and while he was working, she couldn't help but talk about Ben. She was really worried and while rambling about him, a slip of the tongue caused her to speak about his 'monster harem', how those girls would feel if they never got to see him again.

"It's the truth Kevin. Why, you jealous?" Asked Gwen, trying to push Kevin's buttons.

"Pfft, there's no way Tennyson could bag 5 chicks at once. Hell, he barely got ahold of one" he said, referring to Ben's current girlfriend.

"You didn't answer my question" Gwen said, with a smirk. The look on Kevin's face was priceless.

"HEY! I'm not jealous. Monsters aren't real Gwen. Even in Japan, the only ones close to them are Yakuza" he said, turning back around and got back to work.

"Funny... considering you used to be one" Gwen said, muttering to herself.

"What?" Asked Kevin, not hearing her clearly. "Huh? Uh, nothing" the sorceress lied.

-TIME BREAK-

Back on Turrawuste, Swampfire managed to get a fire going ( **AN:** Real quick, how did he even find logs on a desert-like planet?). Moka and Kurumu were happy to take a seat... er, well a boulder to warm up.

"Thanks Ben" said Moka.

"Your still the best" said Kurumu.

"Don't mention it, guys. By the way, how did you end up here? Did Japan invent a monorail to other planets?" Ben joked. He was happy to see at least 2 of his friends again, though he wished under better circumstances.

"Well, Ruby and Yukari were working on a spell, like the ones Gwen can use" explained Moka.

"And it worked... a little TOO well, we were actually heading for Bellwood" said Kurumu.

"So... total accident?" Asked Ben.

"Er, maybe. I don't know" said Moka.

"Well, I think it was fate after all! Our destined bond brought us together, Ben!" Said Kurumu.

SMOOSH!

Then hugged Ben in her usual way, making Moka grown an anime-style vein. The Highbreed just watched, Ben took notice of this. "Highbreed, why not pull up a boulder... sit down and relax?" He offered.

"So your inferno pit can deplete me? I think not!" Said the Highbreed.

"It's a campfire, dumbass. It only hurts if you stick your hand in it" said Kurumu with a deadpanned expression, still hugging Ben.

"That, and its an earth custom. For warmth, cooking and just... well... to talk" said Moka.

"To all of you? For what conceivable purpose?!" Asked the Highbreed, not understanding what the point was. They were trying to survive, not socialize!

"Getting to know us, exchange information, how you can stop being such an asshole?" Said Kurumu, not liking this Highbreed one bit. Highbreed? As in High-Class? HA! More like a Low-Class dirtbag.

"How about we just start with names?" Ben sighed.

"Well, I'm Moka Akashiya" said Moka.

"Humph... mines Kurumu Kurono" said Kurumu, letting go of Ben finally, but not looking at the Highbreed when she spoke. She pouted instead.

"And my names Ben... Ben Tennyson. What's yours?" Ben said, asking the Highbreed for his name.

The Highbreed stared at them. He still thought this was foolish, but with nothing else to do at the moment, he decided he might as well play along. "I am called Reinrassig the 3rd. 7th son of the Noble Highbreed House of Deralla, direct descendant of the Pure-blooded High Order of Rarsect, heir to the th..." he said. Now, being a member of royalty herself, Moka's eyes sparkled with delight.

Ben and Kurumu... not so much.

"Eh, I'm gonna call you Reiny... OW!" Said Ben, interrupting the Highbreed known as Reinrassig. For that, Ben was acquainted with a pebble thrown at his face.

"Ben! That wasn't very nice!" Said Moka, the pebble-thrower.

"Hmm... at least one of you has a sense of respect for your superiors" said Reinrassig.

"I'm sorry about him. I come from a royal family too, I understand what its like" said Moka.

Reinrassig now actually looked interested. A lesser being, knowing about nobility? This was unheard off. "Do you now? I never thought I'd meet any lower species that knew anything of royalty." He and Moka went into Blah-Blah-Blah mode and talked about things only they could understand. In fact, he also sat next to her, though was still some distance from the fire due to his own vulnerability. Ben got a little bit jealous of the alien getting close to Moka, but he had to admit that this side of the Highbreed was allot nicer than the one he knew. Maybe now that Reiny is in a better mood and that all 4 of them worked well together despite their differences, perhaps the DNAliens weren't so bad... just misunderstood.

"Ya know, its weird. I don't trust you as far as Humungousaur can throw you; but its pretty cool how we managed to work together to survive. Sure we're not exactly friends, but we're not full-on enemies either" said Ben to Reinrassig.

"You and I _are_ enemies, Ben-Ben Tennyson" said Reinrassig.

"But Ben's a nice guy, he's been protecting you" said Moka.

"He's protected all of us thousands of times" Kurumu said.

"And you and I were able to set aside our differences. Mostly because I know what its like to be... well, not a Highbreed like you exactly, but a whole bunch of other alien creatures," Ben said, pulling up his Omnitrix. "Thanks to this Omnitrix, I can literally walk in another life forms shoes. So I can totally understand what's its like to be them cause... well, I have been."

The Highbreed just sat there, seemingly taking in what Ben told him. Moka, Kurumu and Ben shot each other smiles; they got through to him!

...

...

...

"... Such presumption. Then again, what else should be expected from a genetically inferior creature?" Reinrassig said. "Why would **I** , be the slightest bit interested, in befriending the repulsive likes of **you**?" He pointed to Ben.

"I'm just trying to be nice, here. Find some common ground at least" said Ben, feeling insulted but held his ire.

"You and I are more than mere enemies. The Highbreeds' were the very first race in the universe," began Reinrassig, which was interesting to hear, Ben and the others had to admit. "All other species, other than pure-blooded Highbreeds, are nothing but revolting mongrels! Hideous abominations! Especially humans... or so-called monsters'. As soon as I no longer require your aid, Ben-Ben Tennyson... I will eradicate you... and your foul-mouthed mate Kurumu Kurono. Then, that will be 2 less pests infesting a great universe."

The 3 high schoolers' were stunned. "Except you, Moka Akashiya. Once I return to my home planet, perhaps I can convince the Highbreed Council to spare certain speices who have the utmost respect for us" Reinrassig finished.

"You can't really believe all that, not after the way we've protected each other" said Ben.

"When we weren't trying to kill one another," Reinrassic corrected. For that, Ben had no comeback. Neither did the monster girls. While they didn't know the full story yet, they could only assume Ben and this alien were fighting each other for a long time. "You are all tired. Get some rest, I will take the first watch" the Highbreed offered, seeing how exhausted the 3 of them were, espcially the monsters'. While he meant every word he said, he still needed them to get through to the teleporter out of here.

But if that's true... why did he feel pain in the pit of his stomach?... Hunger?

Kurumu grew out her nails. "Oh-hooooo no! We're wide awake! WE will keep watch!" She snapped at the alien before her. Due to the look on her face along with her flaring her monster energy, Reinrassig decided to back off. Monsters' could be scary when angry.

-TIME BREAK-

Well, they kept watch... of all the Z's they were catching. Ben was resting with his arms behind his head against a rock, with Kurumu and Moka cuddled next to him. That's when both Moka's Rosario and Ben's Omnitrix, glowed red and dark green respectively. **"WAKE UP!"** Said the items' voices. Opening they're eyes, the only thing Ben and Moka saw... were the claws of Reinrassig...

PEW PEW!

"HISSSSSSSSSSS!"

"What the hell was that?!" Asked Kurumu, bolting awake. She woke up to Ben and Moka bracing for something, only for they're supposed 'attacker' to actually protect them from a very large Dasypodidae ( **AN:** The Ben10 wiki says their called "Rodilia Dentia", but I don't know if that's 100% true). As the large roach-like alien recovered, Reinrassic held it down, preventing its movement. This Dasypodidae was persistent, and struggled to free itself.

However, a second one appeared from behind Kurumu, in which Reiny shot more finger darts with his free hand and caused it to fall on its back. With an angry look, Kurumu sliced the pest into 5's... ugh, and she just did her nails too! "Whew... thanks" she said to Reinrassig and while he looked up at the succubus, the struggling arthropod managed to bend back and bite the Highbreed's wrist with its pincers.

Screaming in pain, Reinrassic tossed the overgrown bug off his arm... along with his hand that landed a few feet from its owner! The big insect attempted to get up; but Moka, albeit reluctantly, kicked it away. Not as far as her inner self of course, but still a good few yards. It scurried off, only wanting to deal with easy prey.

Reinrassig clutched his arm, it leaked green blood. "Reinrassig, are you ok?" Asked Moka, clearly worried.

"Since your a plant, can you regenerate it?" Asked Kurumu, also worried. She didn't like the guy that much, but he did just save all 3 of them from becoming midnight snacks.

"What do you take me for... a lowly Florauna?" Said Reinrassic, in a great deal of pain.

"But you can be healed?" Asked Ben.

"Not in these conditions!" Reinrassic answered.

"I have an idea, hang on!" Said Ben, hearing Wildvine's true name gave him a plan, something along the lines of stitching... or at least something close to it. He would go Swampfire or Wildvine (whichever was on his watch or was closer dial-wise) and mend the arm back in place. Since the DNAliens can change the DNA of their hosts, maybe it could work in reverse! Of course, Ben's no doctor, but he knew amputated body parts had a 12 hour window before being irreparable. It might be shorter for an alien, so every second counted!

Turning on his favorite toy, Ben scrolled through his aliens and got to Swampfire first. He raised his hand high, and goes to slam it... t

Then time slows down...

And the image...

...

...

... changed itself!

FLASH!

It hasn't happened in 4 months, but once again tiny green bats swarmed Ben after a large column of energy was released. _When the blood of a vampire is absorbed by the Omnitrix, Ben's human self disappears, and his own vampiric power... is unleashed_.

 **"Ben you son of a bitch, why the hell would you bother saving this High-Weed?"** Said... well, what APPEARED to be Ben. If Reinrassig wore boots, he'd be shaking in them... and out of them too. This Ben gave off the same aura as the vampire, twice as much! Shit, it might even be more! Not even the second Moka or Kurumu combined could fully match the energy level radiating off of him.

 **"And really, would it kill ya to let ME out? Seriously; 4 months?"** this Ben continued, looking down at the symbol near his neck. That's when he noticed someone lost a hand. **"Excuse me, sir? I think you dropped something"** said 'Ben', in an arrogant and joking tone. He picked up the Highbreed's hand off the ground, gripping it like how you would shake someone's hand.

"Ben-Ben Tennyson! Get your filthy, rear-rubbing palms off my hand!" Shouted Reinrassig. He didn't know why, but in the back of his mind, he regretted how he just responded.

'Ben' frowned. **"Look pal, I don't know who you think you are. B** **ut if you think I'm letting Ben waste his time helping your sorry ass, your obviously high-bred on something,"** he looked at the camera with his right hand on the left side of his lips. **"And not the good stuff either."**

Reinrassig would blink if he could, this wasn't Ben-Ben Tennyson? "I don't like him that much either, but he did just save us, so give him his hand back" said Kurumu, defending Reinrassig. 'Ben' turned to the monster girls.

 **"Nice to see you too, Kurumu. Is that anyway to greet the hotter version of your Mate of Fate? I was only giving him a handshake"** He said, then he gripped harder on Reinrassig's lost hand, making blood leak out of its wrist.

"Ben! Stop it! Your going to hurt Reinrassig's hand!" Pleaded Moka.

 **"Oh please, like he really feels anything from it right now,"** said 'Ben', walking over to Moka. **"Listen Moka, as sexy as you are, I'd prefer if she was out"** he continued, reaching for something.

"Wait, what are y...?" Moka asked, but that's when he pulled 'it' off.

FLASH!

When she was awakened, she didn't expect to be face-to-face with the vampire-like Ben again. She noticed the Rosario in his hand and for some reason, she felt violated, both herself and for her other side. Something about this Ben touching her holy item made her angry, she snatched it back quickly. **"Give me that! Didn't your mother teach you to not touch things that don't belong to you?"** Snapped Inner Moka, putting the Rosario in her pocket.

 **"Actually, you didn't. Come on, baby; don't be like..."** Vampire Ben was saying, but...

SLAP!

 **"I'm not your baby, asshole. You don't know a thing about me or her, so don't pretend like you do"** said Inner Moka.

 **"If only you knew..."** said 'Ben', rubbing the cheek she hit. **"They say love hurts. But really, back me up here. You really think Ben should waste his time helping this excuse for an alien? I mean, even their name is a play on hybrid... ironic considering he talks about being pure"** said 'Ben'.

Ugh, it was like talking to her own reflection! Inner Moka now understood how her friends/rivals felt about her pride/arrogance, maybe she should tone it down a bit from now on... Putting that thought aside, she got right in the American vampires face. **"It's not up to you, jerk-off!"** She said. 'Ben' just smirked at her.

**"Heh, any closer, one thing may lead to another and..."**

SLAP!

Inner Moka slapped him again on the other cheek, harder this time. When 'Ben' recovered and turned to face her, his face didn't hold the same conceited expression but rather... something else. **"Ugh... the first 2 were free since I like you..."** 'Ben' started. Inner Moka was really getting ticked off. Whether it was the fact Ben's persona flipped like a flapjack or his haughty nature, even she wasn't sure... but it really glazed her doughnuts. She went to slap him for a third time.

...

...

...

He caught her wrist.

 **"The 3rd... you'll have to WORK FOR!"** Roared the vampire version of Ben, tossing the feminine vampire into the distance, a small crashing sound was heard from a rock formation 50 yards away. **"Fucking tsundere. As for you, Mister Purity... hope ya don't drive stick"** said 'Ben', his egoistic tone replaced by a cold-hearted one.

Reinrassig gave Kurumu a pleading look that said: "Succubus... help me!" Part of Kurumu was uncomfortable with this, could she really force Ben against his will? Maybe when they first met, but she truly loved him... that, and she promised the others she would not to use her powers as an unfair advantage, she preferred to win his heart fair and square. Then again, this Ben clearly wasn't the Ben she knew, so she decided to make this one exception, though she felt sick to her stomach about it for numerous reasons. Posing and using her Love Charm, she unleashed her spell on 'Ben'.

Although 'Ben's' eyes didn't change due to Love Charm, it appeared to be working. He seemed to glide over to Kurumu and...

SMOOSH!

He pressed his rip, toned chest against her's. Her amorous side began to build up inside of her, and it was taking every ounce of her willpower NOT to give in and rub back against him. She LOVED this, her crush this close to her. But right now she had to focus and keep 'Ben' under control until this transformation wore off or he gives up... the latter seemed unlikely, so the 10 minute limit was her only option.

He then trailed a hand up and started to squeeze her orbs. Kurumu turned beat red, him touching her was something she always dreamed off! It felt amazing, 10x better than when she touched herself or fantasized about him! She held in a pleasurable moan that was forming in her throat, she had to hold on, just a little longer. Part of her felt ashamed as this was considered cheating to win his affections, but this Ben wasn't her Mate of Fate. It was the same [yet slightly different] body, but nowhere near the Ben she fell in love with.

'Ben' stopped and cupped Kurumu's chin. Oh sweet Jesus, is he gonna kiss her? _'Oh my god... he's so... handsome... NO! No Kurumu, now's not the time!'_ She thought, stopping her hormonal reveries, or at least suppressed them. Her body was on overload/overdrive, by both hornyness and every fiber of her being fighting it. She couldn't keep this up much longer, her succubus instincts were starting to creep up on her, all of this high-intensity sexual teasing was driving her over the edge!

His lips drew closer... closer... Kurumu just stared, but she couldn't hold back anymore! Like Kevin Hart would say: _Jesus, take the wheel_! Closing her eyes, she leaned in... the distance closed that much faster! They were a mere inch apart, both could feel their breaths hit the others lips... just one more inch, and onward to paradise!

A whisper said, **"Nice try."**

Kurumu's eyes shot open, but not before 'Ben' shoved her away over to the Highbreed, making her skid across the sand. She didn't fall over at least, but this caused her to remember the last time she tried charming him. It didn't work after he went Hero or was in Hero, so it apparently worked on this guy too. She felt like an idiot... but she couldn't stop thinking of the sensations 'Ben' had just given her.

"Now's not... the time for a mating ritual... get my hand!" Shouted/Begged Reinrassig, annoyed. But Kurumu was too tired both mentally and physically (and emotionally) to carry out Reiny's... request.

 **"Now, where was I? Oh right, Rein-ASS-ig... learn how to write lefty"** said 'Ben', dropping the poor Highbreed's hand to the ground like it was garbage. He went to step on it... then, running against the sand was heard from 50 yards away, and got louder as it approached. A form appears before the group, and it was an angry...

**Inner Moka: YOU MOTHERF******!**


	4. Chapter 4

There's a few _Twilight_ references in here... you've been warned.

* * *

**Prologue: Page 4**

One roundhouse kick to his chest and one panty-shot from her later, 'Ben' was sent 40 yards westward by a VERY pissed off Inner Moka.

"MOKA! Cut it out! That's B..." Kurumu was saying.

 **"Bullshit Kurumu! That might be Ben's body, but its far from him. He made me look like a fool, like one of you lovesick puppies back home! I won't tolerate it, he's learning his place!"** Inner Moka hissed and growled, peeved well over her limit. She ran off into the distance to catch up with her target, while Kurumu and Reinrassig just watched.

"Is this, another mating ritual?" Asked a very confused Highbreed, but the poor alien never got an answer.

With a crash: 'Ben' fell flat on his back, had a few dislocated joints and bones, and as for the pain... well, his madman-like laugh contradicts this. 'Ben' got up and bent his body around, putting everything back into place with a painful sounding snap. Again, his manic-like laughter told a different story of what he was feeling. **"HA, whew! THIS is more like it! Alright, Princess... LET'S DANCE!"** Said 'Ben', running in the direction from whence he came.

As soon as both vampires saw the whites of the others eyes, they sped up and let out a battle yell as they started to attack. Inner Moka jumped into the air and did a front-flip before zooming towards the American with her foot outward, while said American pulled made a fist and pulled it back. Both vampires' foot/fist collided with a burst of power, creating a shock wave that disturbed most of the landscape.

Even from 40 yards away, both Reiny and Kurumu could feel the force of the attacks, as well as the shock waves that originated from the duo S-Class monsters'. Sure shock waves get weaker as they spread out, but the wind created from it was enough to blow her skirt, even from this distance. Not wanting to leave the Highbreed defenseless, Kurumu had no choice but to stay... not that she would get anywhere near the fighting vampires anyway, they were scary when angry.

The fighting from Inner Moka and 'Ben' caught the attention of a Dravek. It shot out of the sand, almost making a midnight snack out of either bloodsucker. Opening its jaws, it attempted to eat the silver-haired one, only for her to jump away. Sand flowed out of the beasts mouth as it looked at the 2 vampires and hissed at them.

 **"Quick truce to take this thing out?"** Asked Inner Moka. She didn't like to admit it, but even she couldn't defeat a Dravek alone. Even with Big Chill's help, she only pissed one off, and it was only with Reinrassig's intel of the creature did they manage to kill it.

 **"Heh, speak for yourself. Stand back and watch the master"** said 'Ben', clearly not interested in Inner Moka's plead. The Dravek repeated what it did before, 'Ben' showed no emotion on his face however. Just as the earthworm would have swallowed him, 'Ben' sidestepped and grabbed one of its 5 appendages, ripping it clean off. Hissing in pain, the Dravek turned to try again, but that's when 'Ben' jabbed it with its own body part.

If that suffering wasn't enough, 'Ben' jumped up and uppercutted it, sending it into the air and smack on a large pointy rock that was sharp and long enough to pierce its exoskeleton. It struggled... and then nothing.

'Ben' wiped his arms. **"See? I didn't need your help"** he answered, arrogantly. For a split second, Inner Moka felt stabbed in the heart. But then reminded herself that this was NOT Ben Tennyson. Besides, she didn't love him... did she? She and Moka have felt more alive now that they've seen Ben again and this adventure brought back many fond (and not-so fond) memories, but that wasn't love... right?

 **"What happened to ya Moka? You used to be more confident,"** 'Ben' continued.

Her temper flaring up again, she got right up to 'Ben'. But before she could make a comeback, he spoke again. **"I mean, this IS what you wanted, right?"** Inner Moka instantly backed off, what was he talking about? Could he be mentioning... no way, impossible. She prayed for it in her head, there's no way he could know! That thing Ben wears stores DNA, not actual living things. Then again, Ghostfreak AKA Zs'Skayr was trapped in it... could it be possible then? Could this version of Ben have been buried deep within the Omnitrix that it only managed to get out because of her?

 **"Let me say this, Moka; the Omnitrix might be a computer, but the things inside are as organic as an apple. You wanted it to ignore its safety protocols, and here I am"** 'Ben' claimed. Inner Moka pieced it all together, but it still didn't add up. Azmuth clearly said that the Omnitrix was NOT designed to absorb monster DNA, but Ben unlocked aliens matching similar codes of the 'donators'. Mizore to Big Chill, Kagome to Brainstorm and Keito to Spidermonkey. But why did it have to be an actual monster for Moka/Inner Moka's blood?

Obviously, this 'Ben' knew more than he cared to share, his smug smirk proved that. **"Why then? Why are you taking over his body?"** Asked Inner Moka.

'Ben' made a face of mock-shock. **"Whaaaat? Take over? Listen Bella Swan, don't compare me to that idiotic Ectonurite,ok? I'm here for the same reason you exist, to protect my other half. But for you... isn't it just the opposite?"** He said, grinning at that last sentence. Inner Moka was now truly scared, how much did this man know and more importantly, how the hell did he find out? Ben himself didn't even know the whole truth about her, so how was it possible that this one did?!

Shaking it off, Inner Moka went to get in his face for what felt like the 5th time that night. But he held up his hands in mock-defense. **"Chill your highness, I won't breathe a word... it's not my place. Just g** **et him to let me out once in awhile. You won't believe how stuffy it is in that thing. Hell, I'll even settle for 5 minutes so he can still change into whatever the fuck he actually wants,"** said 'Ben'. He then held out a hand. **"We got a deal?"**

Inner Moka looked down at the other vampires hand, thinking about this carefully. She didn't want to tell Ben about herself (mostly due to her pride), and because she wasn't really sure about it either. Some of her memory was so foggy. Still, as unpredictable as this Ben was, vampires are an honorable species. Even the asshole-ish ones had a shred of common decency. At the same time, she wasn't positive if she could trust him.

'Ben' lowered his hand at Inner Moka's delay. **"Why the hesitation, sweet cheeks? Could it be because...?"** Said 'Ben', grabbing her by the arm quicker than Gin can run on a full moon, and yanked her close. She would have kicked his... weakest point, for a lack of better words. But what he said next shocked her to her core: **"Awwww, you do care."**

She flinched; this Ben said the exact same thing, the exact same way as the human Ben did when they fought those Lizardmen. She got out of his grip faster than Edward Cullen could show off for his girlfriend when they first met. Then doing what she does best (other than kicking), she hid the emotion written all over her face. She took it back, this Ben had as much honor as an Imp. If she was going to get his word, she'd have to swallow her pride and give him necessary motivation...

 **"... Fine... and if you agree to control yourself,"** she started, then paused to reconsider. Ugh, the things she does for her _friend_. **"... you can call me baby"** she growled.

'Ben' changed his tune. **"No shit? I can call you baby all I want, and no hissy fits from ya?"** He asked, now interested. Inner Moka didn't answer, she just held her hand out and gave him a look that said: "I'm not gonna repeat myself." The American vampire took Inner Moka's hand, shaking it with a silly grin in his face. Aw geez, what had Inner Moka gotten herself into?

 **"Well... pleasure doing business with ya... baby,"** 'Ben' said, testing the waters, to which Inner Moka rolled her eyes and growled to herself. **"Alright; I got some time left, so hang on"** said 'Ben', grinning slyly. Before Inner Moka could make a move or ask what that meant, he picked her pick bridal style and ran off into the distance.

-TIME BREAK-

 **Reinrassig:** Let go of my arm, parasite!

 **Kurumu:** _(annoyed, she snapped at him)_ Do you want your hand saved, or saved as a souvenir?

Back at the campsite, Kurumu was tending to Reiny's wound, checking it every few minutes. Of course, Reinrassig wanted to be unhanded, but he shut up due to the above conversation. Kurumu reluctantly asked him to find more water, with him asking what good would water do at a time like this. Placing the hand in the water, she explained she's seen on TV that coolness buys severed body parts some precious time. Since he was also a plant, this still worked out.

He asked what a TV was, but he never got an answer for that either.

Good thing it was cold out, otherwise the water would get too hot and this tactic wouldn't work. And for all his talk about being high and mighty, he was sure whining allot. They heard a sound from the distance, along with a form racing toward them. Arming they're claws and nails, they got ready for whatever was approaching. Neither expected 2 vampires, one of them being held by the other... and still in one piece.

 **"Alright, put me down!"** Said Inner Moka, really getting tired of this.

'Ben' grinned. **"Sure"** he answered, taking the order a little too literal. Inner Moka got up and growled at him, but then the beeping came. **"Aw well, fun's over."**

FLASH!

"Uh, what's going on?... And why does my face feel like it was slapped twice?" Asked Ben, now back to his former self and rubbing his face due to it feeling like he got stung. He noticed Outer Moka was replaced by her inner vampire. "And how did you get out?" He continued. Looking around, he saw Kurumu was giving Reinrassic a 'hand'. "OH RIGHT! Hero..." he said, but noticed his watch was red. "Huh? What the hell happened?"

"Is this another one of your puns?" Asked Reinrassig, thinking Ben was joking around.

"You tried to 'Go Hero', but you miss-transformed into him" said Kurumu.

"Uh, who?" Asked Ben.

 **"Him"** said Inner Moka in a very stern, and VERY pissed off tone.

"Oh... well that's just great, now how am I supposed t..." Ben was asking, but he got an idea. It would involve pain both emotionally and physically, but its not like he hasn't felt it before. Besides, it was part of its programming.

"Kurumu, I need you to hurt me" he simply said. Reinrassig would raise an eyebrow... or four if he could. Inner Moka's eyes widened just a little but no one noticed, and Kurumu...

"O-Oh, w-w-well I didn't think y-y-you'd like things rough, b-b-but we're outside and all, t-t-though it does sound fun..." said Kurumu, blushing. Ben facepalmed, how she could take an innocent request and turn it into a dirty one was beyond him. He got Kurumu up from her seat and placed her right hand on his chest, she couldn't help but blush even redder.

"No Kurumu, I mean literally. Grow your nails out... and don't stop" said Ben.

Kurumu's eyes widened. "WHAAAAT?! Ben, are you crazy?! I'll never do that to you!" She practically shouted.

 **"Apparently someone's having a personality change"** said Inner Moka getting her guard up, thinking perhaps the vampire Ben overwhelmed him.

"What are you, a masochist?" Asked Reinrassig.

Ignoring the others, Ben focused his attention on Kurumu. "I'm sorry to ask you this; but when my life is in jeopardy, the watch instantly recharges sometimes. Trust me, I'll be fine" said Ben.

 **"SOMETIMES?! Did I kick your head too hard? You'll die, you buffoon! You got her aimed right at your heart!"** Inner Moka warned.

Ben just got closer to Kurumu's face, both looking deeply into each others eyes. "Kurumu... trust me" he said.

She was silent, she could NEVER hurt her Destined One. And what was that thing about sometimes? As in it doesn't always work?! Then why in hell's name would he even consider this?! _'There he goes again, putting others before himself'_ Kurumu thought. Charming Ben was one thing, but actually hurting him?! No flipping way. But if it did work, he could save Reiny's arm... but if it didn't...

...

...

...

 **Kurumu:** ... this'll hurt me more...

 **"Kurumu! I swear, if you..."** Inner Moka protested, but her voice went unheard. Kurumu slowly grew her nails out and in simple terms, she _pricked her nail on a spinning wheel_... or in this case, through a man's chest. Ben grunted in slight pain, but he knew she'd have to go deeper if this plan was to work. Of course, there was a chance it wouldn't, but still...

"Keep... going" Ben managed to get out, surprising the alien and the 2 monster women. For a human, he sure had a high tolerance for pain... that, or he WAS a masochist.

"But..." Kurumu said, but Ben urged her to continue by the look in his eye. Reluctantly, she did. Growing her weapons out a little more, she went through his ribs, causing blood to drip out her lovers skin. Inner Moka knew he was both brave... and a little hard/Diamond-headed, but his endurance for a painful wound was incredible. And the fact that he allowed it to continue while fighting his body's natural instincts added to her shock, and slight admiration.

But she wouldn't be caught dead saying that to his face, she'd rather have Vampire Ben call her more embarrassing/unwanted pet names.

Reinrassig was also caught off guard by this "inferior", resisting every muscle in his body that was most likely telling him to get the hell away. Ben-Ben Tennyson's shaking proved that, perhaps they were not so lesser as he thought. He doubted he'd allow someone to cause him harm and even if he did, he further doubted his ability to fight his own body's demands of self-preservation.

Ben was getting annoyed, or was it his "fight or flight" response? Nevertheless, he had to get Kurumu to REALLY hurt him. Blech, it tasted bad even in his thoughts, but he had no choice. "K-Kurumu... grow them out!" He said in enormous agony, he tried to keep his cool but it wasn't working. If this continued, his subconscious might take over and break away from his 'tormentor'. Then... it would be Game Over.

"I'm sorry, Ben. I can't do this. It's hurting me... so much" said Kurumu, tears welling in her eyes. As sorry as Ben felt, he had other priorities, mainly saving a hand that's becoming un-savable with each passing second. He didn't want to resort to this, but he reached back... grabbed her ponytail... and pulled, VERY hard.

Because of the sneak attack by Ben and the pain from it, she lost control over her claw growth and pierced Ben... straight through. Have you ever been slapped so hard, the sound was knocked outta ya? Well, add blood gargling in your mouth and stabbing pain in 5 places through your chest. No sound came out of Ben's open mouth, scaring Kurumu and Inner Moka (Reiny didn't show such an emotion, but he was generally concerned it seemed), but a beeping noise came from below.

Not wasting anytime, Ben went to slap it. The camera then focuses on Reinrassig's hand in the cold water...

...

...

...

...

It is picked up by a green hand, attached to a green body. Ben, now Swampfire again, carefully reattached it to the Highbreed. Using his vines, he fastened the loose limb back into its rightful place, hopefully the sideshow with Ben's vampire form didn't take up too much time. Once Doctor Swampfire finished the surgery, he changed back into his normal self.

"Is it better?" Asked Ben, hoping he fixed the problem.

Reinrassig's hand, and arm, was now green. Testing his ligaments and fingers in his arm by opening and closing his hand, he was both shocked and relived that they still functioned properly, as if his hand was never amputated in the 1st place! Also his new arm, while it felt strange... also felt strangely good. "Why... why would you help me? Even after I threatened to destroy you and your mate?" Asked Reinrassic, very confused. He said he was going to kill them when he no longer needed them, yet they still assisted him after that.

"Why would you help us?" Ben asked back, referring to when the Highbreed saved them from the ambushing bugs earlier. Then... he realized what Reiny said. "Oh, you got it all wrong. She's..." he said, but his mouth was covered by his 'mate'.

"Oh, don't be so modest, sweetie. That's just how we roll" said Kurumu. Reinrassig was going to say: "but your not rolling", but then thought it was what humans call 'slang' and just ignored it.

"But Kurumu, we're not..." Ben tried to explain, but he was stopped by a nail at his throat. Kurumu just looked at him with an evil smile, making the human shut his mouth with a gulp.

"Humph. It was in my best interest to stop those creatures from harming you... for my own protection, of course" stated Reinrassig.

Ben, now out of Kurumu's death grip, smiled at the Highbreed. "Yeah? Well its in my best interest to help anyone who needs it" he said. Reinrassic didn't answer, he just turned around and sat, taking the next watch.

Inner Moka got out her Rosario. **"And you all call me arrogant"** she said, putting it back on. She fell back as Ben ran to catch her.

-TIME BREAK-

Morning was just starting to arise as light returned to the dark, desert-like world. Walking over a hill, the 4 travelers see another rock formation, with a doughnut-looking rock in the middle. "Is that...?" Asked Moka.

"That's our ticket home. C'mon guys!" Said Ben, happy they can finally return home. They began to approach the object by sprinting, but they realized they were missing someone. Looking behind them, Reinrassig was not moving.

"Really? 10 paces again?" Asked Kurumu, somewhat annoyed.

"I thought we were past that, we've been walking side-by-side all night" said Moka, as this was true. They decided to get up early and travel to try and make it before it got too hot again, seeing as Reiny was stronger at cooler temperatures so everyone would be fighting alongside each other a full strength.

"Let's go! We can finally get out of this sand trap and back to our lives" said Ben, gesturing to the teleporter.

Reinrassig didn't answer right away but when he did, he spoke in a soft tone. "Go home. I shall remain here."

Everyone else was confused. "But why?" Asked Moka.

"Don't you WANT to go home already?" Asked Kurumu.

"I have spent too much time with you all, and I have become contaminated" said Reinrassig.

"Contaminated?" Asked Ben, not understanding. He and his two friends walked over to they're temporary ally to get a better look... it didn't look like anything was wrong with him.

"You poor thing, are you sick?" Asked Moka. She would have reached and touched his forehead, but the size difference prevented this.

"Yes. Clearly evidenced by my uncharacteristic behavior. Risking my own life to save yours," said the Highbreed. "I've obviously been infected by your lesser influences, and now I am unclean" he continued, holding up his fixed arm.

"Reiny..." said Ben. This was one stubborn alien. He did a good thing, yet he still feels this way.

"Even if that's true, why stay here?" Asked Kurumu, trying to understand what's going on in this aliens head.

"Self-imposed exile; for I can never return home. I could infect the rest of my kind. To return, would be certain death for me. The only honorable choice... is to stay here. Because all other life forms, other than unadulterated Highbreeds, must be expelled from the universe!... Including myself" Reiny said, explaining his reasoning.

The 3 high school students didn't expect this in the least, this guys pride and beliefs were harder than diamond.

"That's still no reason to basically commit slow suicide in the Sahara Desert!" Said Moka, not accepting Reinrassig's answer. This alien did a good deed, so he was punishing himself for it? It didn't make any sense! This was her first time experiencing something like this sure, but figured with Ben around, it would turn into a happy ending.

"I thought we've gotten through to you... that you've changed" said Ben sadly, he really thought that he understood his Highbreed 'ally'.

"This much is true... I HAVE changed. And now, I must pay the price" said Reiny, walking up to the transportation device. Activating it, Reinrassic turned back to the group and said: "It is ready."

Ben, Kurumu and Moka looked at each other in sadness. They knew this was going to happen eventually, but it didn't make the emotions easier to deal with. "Guess this is goodbye again, huh?" Said Ben, but the only answer he got was 2 girls tightly hugging him... with tears streaming down their faces like Niagara Falls.

"Your parting ways as well?" Asked Reinrassig, he assumed they'd go back together. Humans/Monsters were so confusing.

"It's... complicated" said Ben. He got free of the hug and walked away, with both girls' hands running off his arms. He got up to the portal, looked back one last time... and jumped through.

-TIME BREAK-

On earth, Kevin finally fixed the teleporter pod, at least he thought so. No matter what he tried, he couldn't activate it. "Ugh, I can't get it to turn on" said Kevin.

"You gotta keep trying, Kevin. We have too..." said Gwen, but that's when the device roared to life. Kevin jumped back, not knowing what was happening. A form popped out... a human form...

"BEN!" Said Gwen, running over to hug her cousin, she was glad he was ok.

"You gave us quite a big scare, mister: _I'm all over it_ " Kevin joked, giving Ben a noogie, but even he was glad his younger comrade was back

"Where's the Highbreed, did it get away?" Asked Gwen.

With a frown, Ben answered: "I doubt it." They all turned to leave, their mission completed...

...

...

... the portal reactivated!

"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!"

CRASH!

"Ow, what the...? Moka?!" Said Ben, part of him was happy but the other was clearly not expecting this. Moka Akashiya, the girl-next-door vampire... HERE! Both Gwen and Kevin stared... while Gwen knew who this was, they both had to ask: where did she come from?

"DON'T FORGET MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

CRASH/SMOOSH! ( **AN:** Yes, both girls are currently on top of Ben)

"Kurumu?! What are you guys doing?!" Asked Ben, stunned with both joy and shock.

"We're staying here, silly! I can't leave my dear Mate of Fate all alone with aliens running around!" Answered Kurumu.

"And... well, we don't want to say goodbye just yet Ben. Please let us stay with you!" Moka begged. Ben's imagination began to run wild, having 2 gorgeous women on you will do. New adventures, fun activities, some alone time with... he cut that train of thought before his mind went further. He just sighed... how was he gonna explain this to his mom and dad?!

Those puppy-dog eyes the girls gave him stabbed him in the heart, allot deeper than Kurumu's claws just did a few hours ago. "... ok, but only until..." he was cut off, by the breasts of 2 drop-dead beautiful girls.

"OH, THANK YOU, BEN! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" Said Moka and Kurumu at the same time, that's when they looked at each other and glared, sparks flew between their foreheads.

"Well, this'll be interesting, huh Kevin?... Kevin?" Asked Gwen looking next to herself, then down... a poor man was passed out on the warehouse floor. Gwen looked at the camera and shrugged. She had to wonder how they'll take the news how Ben's already taken. Speaking of them, the 2 divas were pulling the other man back and forth.

 **Kurumu:** He's mine!

 **Moka:** No, he's mine!

 **Kurumu:** He'd rather have mine than your perky tits!

 **Moka:** I met him first!

 **Kurumu:** Well, I SAW him first!

 **Moka:** That doesn't make any sense!

 **Kurumu:** Your 2 different sizes don't make sense!

 **Moka:** Ben's MINE!

 **Kurumu:** MINE!

 **Moka:** MINE!

 **Kurumu:** MINE!

 **Moka:** HE'S MINE NOW, AND MINE FOREVER!

CHUUU!

 **Ben:** AW, COME OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!

* * *

HA! Classic comedy of a fainting person, and ending Chuuu gag. Can't beat it :P. That's also a wrap for the Prologue. Now with Kurumu and Moka joining the fight, who knows how things will turn out? As for the other harem members, they will return as well, but not yet. The main story now begins, see ya then! :D


	5. Chapter 5

Mister and Misses Tennyson (AKA: Carl and Sandra Tennyson) didn't expect they're son to come home while being smothered by 2 young Japanese women. Furthermore, wasn't he going out with a Julie Yamamoto? Of course, they knew about Ben's special exchange last year, but they knew nothing of his time there or the friends he made. It took a few hours, but Ben managed to convince his parents to let his 2 friends stay, using the old fashioned _they have nowhere else to go_ line.

They allowed it... with his mother saying as long as there was absolutely NO loud noises from his room.

Today was exhausting in more ways than one. Being a hero without his parents knowledge was hard enough, but now he had to keep his powers AND Moka's and Kurumu's status as monsters' a secret. Maybe someday he'll tell his mom and dad the truth, but right now wasn't a good time.

A few days after the "move in", Sandra had to admit it was nice having extra help around the house whenever Ben was out, which seemed to be almost everyday and night. Kurumu and Moka also liked this arrangement, they helped with cooking and cleaning and any other task a housewife would have. Sandra would comment they would make great wifes' someday, they couldn't help but fantasize about that with a certain boy as their husband.

Despite being only kids, they were very responsible. They would:

1) Take out the trash on a regular basis. (Moka carries a heavy load of garbage... with one hand, and the neighbors' mouths' agape)

2) Dust places even Sandra couldn't get to. (Kurumu is trying to reach up to the top of a wall unit. She got annoyed and just flew up. The front door knob turns, much to Kurumu's shock, and in comes Sandra... Kurumu is just sitting on the couch in a sparkling living room)

3) And although cooking was a struggle, it was manageable. (Kurumu and Moka, in aprons, start fighting over a spatula over a pot of tomato sauce. As if God influenced this, the kitchen utensil fell into the pot, making a big red mess. The front door opens to reveal Ben and Sandra in the doorway with groceries... and the 2 monsters', covered in red, look in their direction and smile embarrassingly. Ben facepalmed)

Yup... life was good.

( **AN:** Theme song)

**Chapter 1: The Good, the Bad + Vampire**

"SHE'S WHAAAAAAAAT?!"

It's been a few days since the vampire and succubus disappeared and although Kokoa (Moka's stepsister) denied it, she was worried about her sister. She claimed all she wanted to do was kill/see her real sister, but sadly none of Ben's harem had any idea where she was. Besides, school was starting soon so they'd better get back quickly. Kokoa has been "axing" the Newspaper Club where the hell Moka was; and after days of brass knuckles, morning stars, big meat cleavers' and nailed baseball bats; it was time to fess up.

Agreeing to spill the beans if she calmed down, they met up at Ruby's quarters and explained everything to Kokoa. "Well, I'm not 100% sure. She and Kurumu entered the portal too early because of a... draft" said Yukari. Mizore, the girl in question was just flipping through her scrapbook, seemingly not paying any attention.

"UGH! Why is she so hung up on that weak American?!" Kokoa said. She never met this 'Ben Tennyson', but there were plenty of rumors about him. How he beat Kuyo, saved various people, turned into monsters' no one knew existed... but that's all they were to Kokoa, just rumors and not actual facts. A foreign monster being able to do all that was like a vampire being able to surf in Hawaii!

"Well, he's fast" said Ruby.

"And strong" said Yukari.

"And can be any shape and size" said Mizore, not looking up from her book. Sparkles danced around the harem members.

 **Kou:** We're really gonna do this again? WHE-ACK!

Kokoa grabbed the transforming bat to shut him up. "Fine, so he's a Doppelganger, big deal! I've heard of WAY stronger monsters' than that!" She said.

"He's not a Doppelganger... or an Onimodoki either" said Ruby.

"Ok, then what is he?" Kokoa asked in mock-interest.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you" said Mizore, still not looking up from her book.

"Oh yeah? Try me!" Challenged the redhead, but she never got an answer.

-TIME BREAK-

Somewhere back in America, a group of knights are fleeing back into a castle. These guys are known as the Forever Knights. While they are similar to the Plumbers in many ways, the separating factor is that the Plumbers wish to keep the peace with aliens... the Forever Knights wish to destroy them. "OPEN THE GATES, OPEN THE GATES!" The group of knights yelled toward the castle.

From inside, a knight began releasing the chains of a pulley to let his fellow armored comrades in... and to keep that giant in the distance out! Once the were safely in the castle, the knight manning the pulley re-rolled it, closing the drawbridge. The stomping was getting closer... closer! The knights drew their swords and shields, ready to defend their base against this invader.

STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

The beast outside went, his feet shaking the very earth!

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Punching sounds were heard on the wooden door and the stone castle walls, this monster was persistent! The repeated this action a few more times until suddenly... groaning was heard... and it stopped. Did it give up? Was it gone?

...

...

...

Silence... that's all there was. But not one warrior dared to move a muscle.

...

...

...

20 seconds passed and still nothing happened, perhaps now it was sa...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Spoke too soon. A giant brown dinosaur with green eyes stood in what WAS the doorway. Using its humongous strength, it spread the castle walls out of this path to 'let itself in'. The knights ran from this giant brown Barney doll, attempting to escape. But one step for them was a mere few centimeters for the prehistoric tyrant, and it swatted them away with its hands and tail. Either it was after someone, or the rest of them didn't look tasty enough.

Eyeing 1 knight that was further away, the Jurassic giant took only 5 steps to catch up and knock the Forever Knight into a wall. Good thing he was wearing armor, or that crash could have killed him. The possibly hungry dinosaur got as low as he could to meet the knight's eye level, he had a familiar green emblem on his chest. "Last chance... WHERE... IS HE?!" Roared the dinosaur.

"W-w-why ask us when your...?" Shuddered the Forever Knight, but this giant T-Rex wasn't having any of it. He smashed the poor knight into the wall again with his giant palm, almost crushing him to death. Damn, and he just polished his armor...

"I'll ask one. Last. Time..." growled the Dino, then in a flash of green light stood... Ben?! "Where... is Ben Tennyson?"

-TIME BREAK-

"Ok, what weighs 25 kilograms and travels 3 meters per second?" Asked Julie, sitting on the sofa next to Ben.

"Uh, a fly?" Asked Kurumu, her and Moka having gotten folding chairs to sit around the coffee table as a group.

"Or maybe a slug?" Asked Moka.

"I was asking Ben" said Julie, giggling. Currently, Ben had Julie over to help him study. Somehow he thought that was a good idea, bringing his girlfriend over when he has 2 girls living under his roof! Surprising, the 3 girls got along well. Besides, he's moved on so it only makes sense Moka and Kurumu would too... right? Then again, has he really?

There was never a dull moment with Kurumu and Moka living with him, he felt better than he had in a VERY long time. But getting back on topic, he was eating chili fries with Julie while studying. The couple offered some of their snack, but the monsters refrained from it. American fast food was WAAAAAAY too greasy for their taste, especially with their sense of smell.

"Congratulations Tennyson, putting the Omnitrix to good MAXIMUM use" said the voice of Kevin. Turning towards the door, the 4 studying students saw Kevin and Gwen.

"Huh?" Asked Moka.

"What are ya talking about?" Asked Kurumu.

"And nobody cares we're studying" Julie mumbled.

"Not now, Kev" said Ben, not in the mood for his cockiness.

"I'm serious Ben, your finally growing up. Ya know, clandestine butt-kicking wi... OW!" Said Kevin, being elbowed by Gwen.

"What do you mean? We've been helping Ben study" said Moka.

"Yeah, no clue what your rambling about Kevin" said Ben.

"Nice try. We saw you flying away from a battle as Stinkfly a half hour ago" Gwen stated, thinking she caught Ben in a lie. Ben's name kept coming up in rumors Kevin had heard, from him destroying Forever Knight castles, all the way to taking out an entire DNAlien hive alone. It was unlike him, but Gwen decided to track his energy using her powers to check on him. Sure enough, he was escaping as Stinkfly earlier. They didn't know why he was keeping secrets, but was determined to get some answers.

"Gwen, I've been here the whole time! Studying for physics this year... that's my worst subject" said Ben, picking up his textbook to hopefully prove a point.

"Really? What kind of physics? How hard you can shatter rock as Humungousaur, or how quickly you can spin webs as Spidermonkey?" Gwen rebutted.

Feeling the tension in the room rise, Moka spoke up. "Gwen, Ben; please don't fight. I'm sure there's a good explanation for what you saw."

"She has a point. Considering the weird, yet cool stuff you guys deal with; ANYTHING could have happened" Julie stated, defending her boyfriend and agreeing with Moka.

"You can vouch for him then?" Asked Kevin, leaning against a wall with his arms folded.

"Well... no. I only got here a few minutes ago..." Julie said, she would have continued if a certain bluenette didn't fly on top of Ben.

SMOOSH!

"BUT I CAN! Ben's been home ALLLLLLL night with me!" said Kurumu, with her true form revealed... and pressing her mountains on the accused boy's chest, very close to his neck. Caught off guard, Ben dropped his book and tried to get Kurumu off him by her shoulders. He would have done it like a normal person, but didn't for 2 obvious reasons... 3 if you count his girlfriend sitting next to him. Moka frowned at Kurumu's actions... she just couldn't help herself, can she?

Julie was surprised, but not as shocked as the next person would be. She knew of Moka's and Kurumu's identities, for Ben had told her and she believed him... but this was the 1st time seeing one of them up close aside from books and movies. She could only imagine what a vampire would look like.

Still, the succubus was a little too close to her man for her liking. "As you can see, he's making a REAL effort" Julie said, hiding her annoyance/jealously.

"Ugh, and I'm getting better" said Ben, managing to get Kurumu off of him. She flew back to her seat Then, it hit him. "Uh... t-that's not what I meant."

Kevin couldn't help but laugh to himself. At 1st when Kurumu and Moka came around, he was all: "Ben... HOW?" But he's gotten used to it, and it was hilarious how Ben would try to defend his position if Julie was around.

"Ben, with Grandpa Max gone, we have to rely on each other. If you have any secrets, you should tell us... now!" Said Gwen, putting her hands on her hips.

Well, Ben had ONE secret, but he wasn't sure Gwen would be ready to hear about his first and currently only monster transformation... or how he obtained it. "I swear! I'm all about calculating the angular momentum here! If I don't pass this year, mom's gonna ground me... meaning minimal Hero Time, less Kurumu time, even less Moka time; and ZERO Julie time! You do the math... cause apparently I can't" said Ben; tapping his 'watch' first, gesturing to Kurumu with one arm, then Moka with another, and finally Julie with both arms.

"I believe him" said Kevin.

"Why? You have no way of kno..." said Gwen, but Kevin cut her off. "When he lies, his left eye twitches."

"What? It does not!" Said Ben, not believing what Kevin just said.

"Watch this" said Kevin coolly, walking over to Ben and whispering something in his ear. Ben's eye's widened a few seconds later.

"T-t-t-that's not true!" Shouted Ben. Lo and behold, his left eye twitched. Everyone aside from Kevin gasped, never knowing this amazing fact!

"Ok... so Ben, did you like Kurumu _displaying_ for you?" Asked Julie, now wanting some answers.

"Uh, I..." Ben tried to answer, but...

SMOOSH!

"Of course he does, don't-cha sweetie?" Asked Kurumu, smothering him yet again.

"That's not th..." the downed American tried again.

"Ben's not like that, he's not a pervert... right Ben?" Asked Moka, innocently. So the study session turned into a gossip session: question after question, attempted answer after attempted answer.

 _'Why me? Why always me?'_ Ben groaned in this thoughts.

"Who knows? Maybe you've been blacking out or something?" Kevin suggested.

Hearing Kevin say 'black out' triggered the memory of Vampire Ben's first fight with Kuyo for the monster girls. Whenever they asked him questions about it, the human claimed he didn't remember anything from that fight at all. Was it possible then? Was the watch malfuctioning somehow? Gwen became a bit concerned as well, as this happened with a certain transformation before. "Think its possible? Is the Omnitrix making you fight in your sleep?" She asked Ben.

Ben sighed. "I think I would know that."

 **"No you wouldn't"** answered the voice in Ben's head, but he ignored it. "If we're gonna discuss this now, I need..." Ben went to take his snack of Chili Fries, but the entire paper bowl was empty. He didn't eat them, and he most certainly knew Moka and Kurumu wouldn't. Looking at Julie... "You said you didn't want any!" Ben whined.

Julie's face was covered behind the book she was holding, as she had the last few in her mouth before chewing and swallowing them. "What? They're delicious" she said, lowering the book to reveal her smile... that, and this was a nice way to get back at Ben for getting hot and bothered over someone else.

-TIME BREAK-

Luckily, Julie's father called her home so Ben was able to avoid the minefield of questions... for now at least. Kevin drove him, Gwen and the 2 monsters' to Burger Shack s they could get Ben more fries. Of course, the latter 2 girls wanted something as well, so they went to Mr. Smoothy first. Which was one of the few places that went for anything.

The scene changes to inside the burger restaurant, with Ben walking up to the counter with some bills. For some reason, he didn't look very happy, guess chili fries mean more to him than we think. "You... disgust me. This miasma you call 'food'... its foul-smelling, oily residue, digestive preparation... everything human reeks!" Said Ben, slamming the money down.

Yup, he's in a bad mood.

"That's probably the onions, have a good one" said the cook, handing him his order in a bag. Apparently Ben comes here often, he opens the package and takes a whiff. "UGH! Yet all the same, I find myself... craving this putrid substitute... must be the DNA" Ben said; taking a handful of the 'putrid substitute', stuffed it into his mouth and going to a table.

A minute later, Ben walked back up to the counter... from the entrance?! What the...?

"Evening. Bag of chili fries, please" said Ben kindly, taking out some bills. The cook smiled warmly at Ben, then he noticed it was the same customer from 60 seconds ago, this kids a fast eater! Guess he was still hungry.

"Sure, but be careful kid; triple portions catch up with ya..." said the cook, patting his stomach. He was as round as Grandpa Max.

"Uh... thanks?" Said Ben, not understanding since this is only his 2nd visit tonight. Besides, his girlfriend ate his 1st order anyway.

"Just some friendly advice, take it or leave it" said the cook, handing Ben the bag, which Ben swiped away humorously.

-TIME BREAK-

"So... he saved you from her?" Asked Kevin, pointing at Moka. He and the girls were waiting in the parking lot for Ben to come out, so he decided to pass the time by making conversation. Kurumu decided to talk about the day she met her knight in shining armor... though Kevin didn't doubt her story, he DID have trouble believing that Moka was the dragon he fought. She was hot as a dragon's breath sure, but looked WAY too innocent to even THINK of harming another living thing.

"I see that look in your eye Kevin, she's telling the truth... Moka can be pretty scary" said Gwen, shivering as the memory of Inner Moka popped into her head.

"... I'll believe it when I see it" Kevin responded. Kurumu held her cheeks as she blushed, continuing her story.

"It was love at first sight! He's so handsome, sweet as candy, strong as an ox... and despite everything I put him through, he's the only one who liked me, FOR me, rather than what I got" Kurumu said, squeezing her... dragon eggs.

 **"Oh, it was definitely love alright..."** Inner Moka rolled her eyes. The 2 Americans' in the car sighed. The animes' they've seen really ARE accurate in terms of how Japanese girls operate. Shuffle, Maken-Ki, High School DXD... hell even Pokémon; girls would fall head over heels for guys quicker than Sonic the Hedgehog could break the sound barrier!

Looking out the window for a second, Gwen noticed Ben exit the premises of Burger Shack, then messed around with his watch. The alien known as Jetray took his place, and flew off. "Where the hell's he going?" Gwen asked.

"Step on it, ya big oaf!" Shouted Kurumu, talking to the driver. With his tires smoking the concrete, Kevin took off after the flying Manta ray... not noticing another Ben walking out of the building.

"Guys?!" He questioned... why did they leave him behind?

-TIME BREAK-

Following the trail of Jetray... or rather the yellow and red beams from a Forever Knight castle... the 4 friends caught up with Ben/Jetray flying around a guard. The guard fired red lasers from a piece of tech that looked like a gun, a Laser Lance, only to miss with every shot. Jetray landed behind the guard. "Where, is Ben Tennyson?" He asked but before the guard could even respond, he was paralyzed by Jetray's neuroshock blasts from his eyes.

Jetray was then hit in the back by a laser from within the castle, he turned around to see 5 Forever Knights charge at him. Kurumu flew into action... quite literally. Not bothering to use the door, she sliced the roof of Kevin's... "LOOK WHAT YA DID TO MY BABY!" He cried, getting out of the car quickly to see the damage. Gwen just pulled him away 'his baby' with Moka following.

The Forever Knights surrounded Jetray, when a girl with bat-like wings kicked one of them into the water below the drawbridge. "AH! IT'S A MONSTER! KILL IT, KILL IT!" Said one of the Knights, starting to randomly fire at Kurumu, but she was too fast to be hit by them.

Suddenly, Gwen appeared and kicked that knight square in the chest by jumping at him. Kevin, who absorbed metal off-screen, grabbed one of the knights and bent his sword in 2... then punched him into the water for good measure. Gwen continued her assault by using mana to grab a knight and toss him away, also into the water, and mana blast another. Jetray shot a knight with both eyes, but one snuck up behind him...

 **Moka:** GET AWAY FROM HIM!

 **Forever Knight:** GAAAAAAAAH!

CRASH! SPLASH!

Moka shoved the attacker just in time away from Jetray; making the knight hit the side of the castle wall, cracking it slightly, and fall into the flowing water. "Ben, are you ok?" Asked Moka, worried about her American friend, then her Rosario spoke to her. **"That's not..."** Inner Moka tried to tell her innocent self, but that's when Jetray grabbed Moka by the shoulders.

"YOU! You know him? Where... is... Ben, Tennyson?" Asked the Aerophibian, which was Jetray's official species name.

"Humph, you never grab me like that" mumbled Kurumu, pouty-faced.

"I'd knew you'd snap eventually, Tennyson" said Kevin.

"Tennyson? I..." Said Jetray, then he got an idea. If these fools thought HE was Ben...

"Change back, Ben. You've had a rough couple of weeks, let's go home" Gwen offered, knowing its been tough for Ben. Lying to his parents' faces about his Hero Time and not telling the full truth about the 2 girls living with him was hard on the poor guy.

In a flash of green light, 'Ben' returned to normal. "Yes... it is I, Ben Tennyson. If you'd be so kind as to transport me, Ben 10, to my domicile. There are personal matters that I must attend to."

Everyone else just blinked.

"Yup, he's lost it" said Kevin.

Moka's Rosario spoke to her again, picking up where it left off. **"Moka, that's not Ben"** said Inner Moka.

"It's not?" Moka asked.

"Who's not what?" Asked Kevin.

"What did she say, Moka?" Gwen asked Moka, knowing her inner self must have spoken to her.

"She who?" Asked Kevin again, not understanding what's going on.

Moka walked up to this possible Ben-personator. "If your not Ben... who are you?"

Before anyone else could say a word, a voice spoke from above. "Thanks allot, guys! You left me back at Burger Shack for..." said another Jetray, noticing that 5 feet in front of him was... him! In a flash, he changed back into a human. "And... whose your devilishly handsome friend?" He asked. Kevin facepalmed.

"Greaaaaaaaat... now there's 3..." Kurumu mumbled.

"Three?" Asked Gwen.

"Oh, nothing; hahahahaha" the succubus covered up with a nervous laugh.

"Ben... Tennyson?" Asked the 2nd Ben. "That's my name, don't wear it out" said Ben.

"You are a most difficult creature to find. I am Albedo of the Galvans" said the 2nd Ben, introducing himself as someone named Albedo. Ben looked him up and down.

"Aren't you a little tall for a Grey Matter?" Asked Ben, but Albedo appeared to ignore him. "I am the builder of the Omnitrix... I must have it back. Your days as Ben 10 are at an end, remove your Omnitrix and return it."

Well, this was unexpected. "Wait... _you_ made the Omnitrix?" Asked Kurumu, slowly pointing to Albedo. She and Moka were both confused. They had... or at least thought they had... met the builder back in Yokai Academy when Ben unlocked Brainstorm.

"But... I thought this was the ONLY Omnitrix in the universe... and a Grey Matter named Azmuth built it" said Ben.

Albedo's face and tone turned cold, colder than it was before. "Azmuth is a liar; now hand it over. I'm not asking you again" he said.

"But the DNAliens, the Highbreed... I'm supposed to save everyone with it" said Ben.

"It is incomplete and prone to malfunction, surely you know this first hand?" Asked Albedo, trying another tactic.

"It's been working fine for me, though the timeouts are kind of a downer... Why don't you show us your real face? Its kinda weird talking to myself" said Ben.

 **"Aw, I'm not enough?"** Said that voice in Ben's mind, in sarcastic sadness.

 _'Not now, I'm kinda busy out here'_ Ben thought to his other self. **"Jokes aside, don't trust this guy as far as I can punch him, which is pretty far"** said Ben's inner vampire, going silent.

"That would be marvelous, if only I could" said Albedo.

"You can't?" Asked Moka. **"Don't take his word for it. We know too little about him, he could be twisting the truth for his own personal gain"** warned Inner Moka.

"No, I cannot. Ben's DNA is the default setting... so I am stuck in this stinky, sweaty, hungry, hairy teenage human body! Craving those accursed chili fries, and scratching myself in places that I suspect are VERY inappropriate!" The poor Galvan stated.

"Wow, he really IS you" said Gwen.

"My Omnitrix synchronized across time and space with yours, so your my default as well" said Albedo.

Kevin got in the Galvans face. "So which is it? You want the watch to fix the universe, or fix yourself?"

"Er... BOTH!" Albedo said, getting a little nervous when Kevin called him out.

"Ok then... since you built the Omnitrix... do you how it comes off?" Ben asked; knowing only he, Azmuth and a few selective people/aliens knew how the watch is removed. If this guy DID make the Omnitrix, then he had to know how it came off himself because if he did... why would he be asking for HIM to remove it?

"Y-yes, of course. Surely I, the inventor of the most powerful weapon in the universe, knows exactly how it comes off of its hosts person. I trust your know practical applications of 8th dimensional quantum-gravity monopole equations?" Albedo said. No one understood what that was supposed to mean, but it didn't matter because after a few seconds... his left eye twitched.

"Wow... it really does twitch" said Ben.

"Told ya so" said Kevin. The rest of the group folded they're arms.

"Ok. So I don't know EXACTLY how it comes off... but there are, _other_ ways to disarm you!" Said Albedo, quickly slamming his Omnitrix and flashing green. Kurumu got in front of Ben with her claws and wings out again.

"Don't worry, sweetie. He's gonna have to go through ME!" She claimed.

The form of Big Chill did just that. The poor succubus shivered for 2 reasons: freezing and grossed out that someone other than Ben went inside her.

Big Chill/Albedo carried Ben into the air, attempting to escape with a hostage. In a flash of green below him, his baggage became heavier. "HUMUNGOUSAUR!" Roared Humungousaur/Ben. The extra weight threatened to send both wielders into the drink, so Big Chill/Albedo had no choice but to drop the load. The dinosaur fell in with a big splash, though he got back to the surface relatively quickly.

Big Chill/Albedo tried to trap the human transformer in icy waters, but he got out with a mad leap and started climbing up the castle wall, didn't stop Humungousaur/Ben from getting chilled a little from ice blasted. Reaching the top, he brushed himself off. "Damn dude, that's just cold" Humungousaur said, picking up some rubble and throwing it at the flying Necrofriggian, but missed each time.

"Your unworthy of the Omnitrix" said Big Chill/Albedo, crashing into his double and sending them into the castle. Humugosaur/Ben struggled to get up from the fall, but Big Chill/Albedo stood in front of him. "I thank you... for your sacrifice..." said the anti-Ben, he took a deep breath in...

SMACK!

A rock hit him in his back, making him blow upwards, then a second one came and hit the back of his head. They were thrown by Moka and Kevin respectively. Big Chill/Albedo tried again, but a pink sphere hit his back this time. He turned to see what was happening, and what he got was a raging succubus attempting to slice him up like pie! He flew into the air to try and escape.

"GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE, YOU COPYCAT!" Screamed Kurumu, pissed off at this lookalike for dare hurting her Mate of Fate. She flew after the mothman, but he turned and tried to freeze her solid. Now she was thankful of the X amount of times Mizore froze her, his vapors didn't have an immediate effect on her! She would swipe, he would dodge and try to freeze, she would either dodge or fly right through; rinse and repeat. At one point, she got a good slash on his chest and attempted to strike again, but he grabbed her tail in response.

"Your not worth my time" Big Chill/Albedo, throwing Kurumu down to earth. She couldn't help but feel a bit of déjà vu.

"KURUMU!" Yelled Humugosaur/Ben. He got up as quick as he could and broke in a sprint! Just before the falling succubus could kiss the dirt; the dinosaur jumped forward, caught her and curled around her protectively while they slid into a few trees. "Ugh... are you alright?" Asked Humugosaur. Then... he saw a sultry look in her eyes.

"I am now..." she said, in a dreamy-like state.

"Oh, boy" sighed the giant, changing back to human form. Sadly, the copycat escaped.

-TIME BREAK-

Luckily, they had a tracker on their side. Gwen, being a species known as Anodites, can sense and control mana, also known as life energy. Moka and Kurumu couldn't help but think Yukari's going to have a ball when she finds out Gwen is an alien witch.

Getting in Kevin's car and using Gwen as a living compass, they drove off after Ben's twin... Kevin couldn't help but joke about it along the way. Following Gwen's directions, they drove up to a computer store, seeing people flee from it for a currently unknown reason. Didn't take a genius to figure it out though. Our heroes headed inside, seeing the place a wreck. Boxes torn and littered, cables snapped and sparking... this shops obviously seen better days.

Gwen's eyes glowed with mana, but she appeared to struggle to concentrate. "Ugh... too many machines, not enough living things" she said, dispelling her power.

"So, you lost him?" Asked Kurumu.

"No, he's definitely here, but I can't track him anymore. Sorry guys" said Gwen.

"What are we going to do?" Asked Moka.

"We'll have to split up and surround him" Ben said.

 **"You dunderhead, how will they know which one is you?"** Asked Inner Moka. Of course, only Outer Moka heard her.

"Does that thing glow often?" Asked Kevin, as everyone noticed what the Rosario just did.

"But Ben, how will we know which Ben is you?" Asked Moka, repeating her inner self's question, then Kurumu jumped in.

"Like this" she grabbed Ben's hand and...

SMOOSH!

Everyone would have face faulted if they weren't in a group. "ONLY YOU CAN MAKE ME FEEL THIS GOOD, YOU NAUGHTY BOY!" Kurumu moaned, holding his hand on one of her tits!

Ben, though very red faced, pulled away. "Let's... not and say we did"

Kevin eyed something on what looked like a dry-erase board with a marker. Picking it up, he grabbed Ben's face and wrote an 'X' on his cheek. "We'll call you, Ben X-treme" joked the human absorber. Ben knocked the marker out of Kevin's hand and rubbed the mark off.

The team formed 2 groups: Gwen/Kevin/Kurumu and Ben/Moka (there was a short argument on which monster would go with Ben). Walking around, the 1st group looked down some aisles and saw Ben motioning them to him. "Guys... I think I heard something over here."

"Didn't you go the other way?" Asked Kevin. "And where's Moka?" Asked Gwen.

Again, the succubus jumped in... or rather jumped on.

SMOOSH!

"He OBVIOUSLY wanted t..." she was saying, but something didn't feel quite right. She looked up into Ben's eyes, and her's widened. "Your...!" Kurumu tried to warn, but Ben just did what he normally wouldn't do... pulled her into him.

"Y-yes... I shouldn't have erased your marking Kevin. How immature of me" Ben said.

Kevin and Gwen smiled at Ben, thinking it was THEIR Ben... although it was kinda weird that he pulled Kurumu in, instead of the other way around. As they walked past, Kurumu broke free of Ben's hold and ran toward her friends, trying to warn them of what she felt.

That's when Ben and Moka appeared at the end of the aisle.

Looking back and forth; the Anodite, Osmosian and 2 monsters' were now VERY confused. "Guys, that's Albedo, get him!" Yelled Ben... or was it Albedo?

"Preposterous, THAT'S Albedo, he's taken the vampire hostage!" Yelled Albedo... or was this Ben? This was quite the predicament, 2 Bens' and one of them's an evil twin... but which one to trust?

"This is what I was trying to tell you, this isn't Ben!" Shouted Kurumu, pointing a claw to their supposed Ben.

"My dear succubus... it is me. How could you not recognize your own destined partner?" Asked Albedo, or Ben? Kurumu's eyes widened, he finally admitted his feelings for her?! Her heart skipped a few beats.

"Don't listen to him! He's trying to trick you!" Warned Ben, or Albedo?

This was getting nowhere, they even tried using the eye twitching but that proved pointless since BOTH of their left eyes twitched.

 **Ben?/Albedo?:** Come on, guys! IT'S ME!

 **Albedo?/Ben?:** No, IT'S ME!

 **"Moka! Have him release me, it's our only hope!"** Said Inner Moka. Outer Moka gasped, she was right! Only Ben... HER Ben, was ever able to remove her rosary. It was the only choice they had left!

Moka, with a confident face, grabbed the closer Ben by his ear and as she dragged him across, she grabbed the other ones ear as well. Stopping a few feet away from the rest of the group, she lead them next to each other. "OK! Whichever one of you can remove my rosary right now, is the REAL Ben!" She said.

 _'Foolish woman, simply remove her cross to fool the rest of them? Perfect!'_ The Galvan impostor thought. He pushed Ben aside, thinking all he had to do was take the piece of jewelry. With one mighty tug...

"OW!"

Nothing... aside from hurting Moka, it didn't come off. He tried again, and again, and again! Still nothing. _'What's going on? It's just a simple piece of metal, why won't it come off?!'_ The masquerading Ben thought to himself, getting nervous.

"Heh, I knew Ben was weak" said Kevin, unaware of the meaning behind this. Kurumu and Gwen did, and it was a stroke of genius! Only Ben could remove the Rosario seal from Moka's person... it was brilliant!

With his confidence restored, Ben casually walked up to his struggling twin brother. "Please... allow me" he said in a mocking tone, and with a VERY tiny tug using only his index finger and thumb...

FLASH!

"What the hell? Why is Moka lighting up like a Christmas tree?!" Asked Kevin, covering his eyes because all of a sudden, light started erupting from Moka.

"Because she's awake now" said Gwen, also covering her's.

"Her? Awake?! HER WHO?!" Kevin asked again. Tiny bats then swarmed in from a hole in the roof.

 _'What is this? This isn't logical!'_ Thought Albedo, now really terrified that his game was over.

( **AN:** Battle Time! Queue the well-known music)

Although Gwen's seen it before, it was not easier looking at it the second (third of you count the Witch Hill incident) time around. Kevin himself was shaking, but not with fear. His Osmosian instincts began to crave the power Moka was radiating, but he fought it off quickly. He just didn't expect such an enormous surge of energy, that and the appearance of the vampire changed.

NOW he was scared... and slightly jealous. How did Ben get such a babe?!

 _When the rosary seal over her breast is removed, Moka's innocent self vanishes, and her inner vampire... awakens_. A new Moka had taken the place of the old one. **"About time, that guessing game was getting REALLY annoying"** said Inner Moka. Kevin flinched... she even SOUNDED different! Her tone, her silver hair, her bigger protruding features... he smacked himself in the head, getting back to reality... but hot damn, she was a fine catch! **"Putting that aside, y..."** Inner Moka didn't finish due to Ben tackling her because...

SPLOOSH! SPLAT!

An Upgrade-colored hose shot out foam at the group; Gwen, Kevin and Kurumu were now in a sticky situation against a wall.

"Eww, what is this stuff?" Complained Kurumu. Sure it wasn't as disgusting as Stinkfly's goo, but it still smelled bad.

"Grrr, it's packing foam. UGH! This reeks" said Kevin, struggling to get out along with Gwen and Kurumu, but it was no use.

The Upgrade, now obviously Albedo, disconnected itself from the hose. "I'm giving you one last chance, surrender your Omnitrix to me, now!" He said.

"Look Albedo, your not getting my Omnitrix, and I'm not taking it off!" Ben shot back, starting to get up.

 **"Maybe, but can you get off _me_?"** Asked a stern voice. Looking down, Ben was on top of Inner Moka... the position was very suggestive.

"GAH! S-sorry" he said, bolting up and giving Inner Moka a hand, which she surprisingly took without a snappy comment. **"Sorry for her... or her airbags?"** Said a cocky voice in Ben's mind. _'Shut up'_ Ben thought to his other self.

"I have all your powers... and a superior intellect to boot, your only delaying the inevitable!" Said Upgrade/Albedo.

 **"But you don't have mine!"** Said Inner Moka, running at the Mechamorph.

"Moka! WAIT!" Called Ben, but she was already gone. Turning the dial on his chest, Upgrade/Albedo turned into Fourarms, grabbing Inner Moka's leg as she did a flying kick, and threw her into a wall with a painful crash; leaving a hole where she entered.

"I never did like vampires... especially her kind" Fourarms/Albedo commented, now knowing what Moka was. Now angry, Ben activated his own Omnitrix, turning into a slimy alien with a small UFO above its body and the Omnitrix symbol on its chest. He actually got this alien from Yokai Academy from a battle none of the monster girls knew about, from this creepy guy that loved taking pictures.

"GOOP!" Shouted the new alien joining the fight. Pulling his fist back, he punched forward, shooting slime at Fourarms/Albedo. Goop's body is very corrosive, it began to dissolve Fourarms' shirt with a sharp hissing sound. Fourarms/Albedo disregarded it however, and tried to punch Goop/Ben over and over, not that it did any good against the polymorphing slimeball.

Inner Moka appeared out of nowhere, having recovered, and kicked Fourarms/Albedo in the head, disorienting him and forcing him to stumble back, but he managed to touch the faceplate to cause another transformation. This time, Albedo became a familiar blue raptor and sped off. He constantly swiped and cut Inner Moka and Goop/Ben, making Goop weaker due to his body coming apart, and Inner Moka's clothes slightly more revealing. Goop/Ben pressed his own faceplate, making him change as well into: "SWAMPFIRE!"

"Careful; floor slippery when muddy" said Swampfire/Ben, tossing some mud on the ground. When XLR8/Albedo came around for another attack, he slipped and lost slight control, but that's all it took to crash into some selves. In a flash of green light, Albedo changed again into Big Chill and took flight. Inner Moka tried kicking him again, but she went through him due to the Necrofriggian becoming intangible. When she landed, she looked behind her, then had to run from a blast of icy vapors as they froze the floor. Big Chill/Albedo kept aiming at Inner Moka even as she ran.

Swampfire/Ben tossed some fireballs, but Big Chill/Albedo went intangible again to evade them and took his attention off the vampire, blowing a cool breeze at the walking plant instead. Though he was almost completely frozen, Ben managed to slowly touch his emblem again.

"GHOSTFREAK!" Said Ben's newest alien form. Although he REALLY didn't wanna use Ghostfreak, a ghost can't go intangible on another ghost. Ramming into Big Chill/Albedo, he sent them on a one way trip to the ground floor, though Big Chill/Albedo touched his symbol again, changing into Heatblast.

"Surrender, or burn. You can't keep this up forever" he warned, making good on his threat by bursting into flames. Fire is a weakness to Ectonurites like Ghostfreak!

While this was going on, Gwen was shooting mana out of her eyes to try and melt the foam holding Kevin, with him complaining it burned. "Why don't you get me out, I can slice us out faster than..." Kurumu began to boast, but that's when they 3 trapped teenagers heard a crash. Looking up, they saw Heatblast standing over a singed Ghostfreak.

"Your Omnitrix is losing power, unlike mine which is perfected" said Heatblast, his hands glowing. Inner Moka kicked his rocky stomach, breaking a portion of it into little pebbles... but the Pyronite didn't budge. Heatblast punched Inner Moka, knocking her back and burning her skin a bit. "Your quickly becoming a nuisance" he said, holding out one of his arms.

FLOOSH!

Heatblast/Albedo roasted Inner Moka!... Well, if not for a green crystal egg that acted as a blast shield. Heatblast/Albedo turned to face Ghostfreak/Ben; and was welcomed by a green, crystalized fist straight in his face; making him slide back! Ben, now Diamondhead, rushed forward with a battle cry to hit his double again and...

FLASH!

"Uh, oh..." uttered the American, realizing he just changed back to human.

"I told you, you've now drained your Omnitrix dry. I'll just have to pry it from your cod, dead ashes" said Heatblast/Albedo, getting up, his flames ready again. Inner Moka smashed out of her protective shell and ran up to the volcanic alien, but he noticed some packing foam on the floor and set it ablaze, blocking her path. "Fear not, Ben 10... I'll make this as quick, and as painless as I can..." said Heatblast/Albedo.

Hearing this, Kevin and Gwen continued to try and push out of their packaging prison, but it refused to budge. Then, they felt a surge of power... right next to them...

Kurumu, her eyes glowing with evil red light, began to flare up with her monster energy... allot of it too! "YOU LEAVE MY MATE OF FATE ALOOOOOOOOOOONE!" She roared, catching everyones attention. Suddenly, a dark feeling filled the air, and bits of machinery came together! It turned into a mesh of metal and wires, with large hands and head, which included a wide mouth. It had no legs however.

"Gwen, is that...?" Asked Ben, but that's when he noticed it was Kurumu glowing and not his cousin. This machine monster grabbed the fiery evil twin with huge steel hands and roared in Heatblast's/Albedo's face, showing it had an equally large mouth with random teeth made by multiple electronics.

The sprinkler system finally kicked in and dowsed the flames, though this also rusted the machine monster and caused it to stop moving. Even if that wasn't the case, Kurumu's monster energy began dying down, she used a LOT of power to do... whatever it was she did! She then passed out, and the rusty tin-man fell apart since she was no longer fueling it with her monster energy. Now weakened, Albedo changed back into human form as well, his watch also running out of power as well.

That was all the invitation Inner Moka needed. Sounding her famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) catchphrase: **"I really... don't like you either. It's time that you've learned your PLACE!"**

POW!

In her adrenaline rush however, she kicked Albedo right into Ben... and they're watches touched! They locked together like magnets, neither one would break away, no matter how hard either Ben pulled. A surge of green energy emitted from both devices. **"OUCH!... The hell's going on out there?!"** Asked Ben's watch, of course only Ben heard him.

 **"BEN! What's happening?"** Asked Inner Moka, though she hid her emotionful expression right after asking.

"Don't ask me, have no idea!" Said Ben.

"Their close proximity... is creating a Bio-energy feedback!" Said Albedo and while they were struggling, his human form changed. The Omintrixs' then began releasing electric sparks, which had an effect on Albedo. His hair turned white, his shirt and eyes changed to red, his skin got paler, and his blue jeans became gray. Basically a negative-colored version of Ben.

Inner Moka, knowing she can't do anything else for Ben, ran over to the others and ripped the foam clean off the wall. Now freed, they race over to Ben. Kevin grabbed Kurumu though, for obvious reasons. After pulling for what seemed like hours, the Omnitrix brothers broke apart. The second they did... "THAT'S ENOUGH!" A flash of light burst on the floor, taking the form of a frog-like creature. It was...

"Azmuth..." said Albedo.

"Albedo, my former assistant; I warned you there can only be ONE Omnitrix in the universe... you completely ignored me, and built a copy... an _inferior_ copy, at that" said Azmuth, then he turned his attention to Ben. "And YOU! You overloaded yours so badly, I could sense it half a galaxy away! Those non-stop transformations are gonna break it!" The Galvan continued, his stern tone unchanged. Ben was about to explain when...

 **"In his defense, he was trying to... "** said Inner Moka, while impressed the small alien was able sense something _that_ far away, went out of her normal character to jump to Ben's aide. Azmuth held his hand up.

"Save it, Miss Akashiya. I already know... and you said you didn't care" said Azmuth, smirking at the last part. Inner Moka just pouted and turned away with a 'humph'.

"Uh... what?" Asked Ben, dense to the exchange between the vampire and the alien scientist.

"Sounds like _someone's_ in trouble..." Kevin joked.

"I will not trust the fate of the universe to a mere human... that technology is beyond him!" Said Albedo.

"No Albedo, it's beyond YOU! In your ignorant rampage, YOU COULD HAVE DOOMED US ALL!" Yelled Azmuth, the seriousness in his voice increased.

"So, if Ben lost the watch..." said Gwen.

 **"The universe would be at stake?"** Finished Inner Moka, having no idea this was the case. She merely thought the Omnitrix could be wielded by anyone, just take it off and use it like any other gadget. To hear that the entire world... EVERY world... could fall over due to such a seemingly small detail... was scary, even for her.

"If Albedo got his hands on it, yes. All he wanted was to restore his original form, nothing more" said Azmuth.

"But this human body is unbearable! The hunger, the smell, the uncontrollable urge for reproduction!" Albedo complained.

"I get that. The face is even worse" Kevin joked, earning unamused glares from the 2 conscious women and the green human shape-shifter.

"You should have thought about that before your act of rebellion, you should be ashamed of yourself. You've proven your even less worthy of wielding something as powerful as the Omnitrix... and an even lesser being" said Azmuth and with that, he jumped into Albedo's left arm and pulled the unit of the copy of Azmuth's creation. "So as punishment, you shall remain as you are... in a prison, of your own making."

Albedo trembled with fear. In a last ditch attempt to save himself, he got to his knees and begged. "No... please, have mercy! You can't do this to me!" The Galvan/Human pleaded.

"I just did, and you will spend the rest of your days... in the Null Void" said Azmuth. Crying out with hatred towards his former boss, Albedo was teleported away somehow. After a few seconds of staring in the spot where his lackey was moments ago, Azmuth turned to the group. "He won't bother you all ever again... but your on your own from here."

"Wait, I still have some questions. Like, what is...?" Ben tried to asked, but Azmuth cut him off.

"Look kid, as flattered as I am on asking me how to properly use it, you alone have made the Omnitrix a force to be reckoned with. It's ironic, isn't it? Me. The smartest being in 3 galaxies, never once conceived to use it in ways a mere human has been for the last 5 years. Therefore; I think its best if I let you find and create your _own_ way of using it" said Azmuth. He then jumped into Ben hands.

"There's no question. Despite my concerns, your the only one worthy to wear it. Just look around, you have friends that believe in you and trust your judgement, and I'm not the only one who thinks so" said Azmuth, smiling warmly at the group. Inner Moka was surprised as well. Ben, able to literally out-think a Galvan, the smartest being in the universe to her knowledge. And the little hopper was praising him!

The Galvan began to glow again and said a few parting words that echoed before he disappeared. "There are many difficult trials ahead for you 4. Be ready, and remember... just do the right thing."

-TIME BREAK-

The next day, everyone was hanging at Mr. Smoothy after yesterday, which was 5 hours ago so they didn't get much sleep. "And you all thought my Destined One wasn't studying!" Said Kurumu.

"I'm sorry, but the suspicious circumstances made me... well, suspicious!" Gwen apologized.

"And I'm sorry I thought it was YOU kicking ass behind our backs" said Kevin, he and Ben stared for a few seconds.

...

...

...

"Fair enough" Ben answered.

"I feel kind of bad. Azmuth not letting Albedo change back, the poor thing" said Moka.

"Well, he should have known better than to mess with me and my Ben!" Said Kurumu, hugging Ben and threatening to spill both of their drinks. Ben couldn't help but fantasize about what his 2 harem members would look like in wet, cold, smoothie tasting clothes.

 **"Heh, and you call ME bad"** said Ben's inner mind, but Ben ignored it.

"Me either... like that's a punishment. Being me isn't so bad, right?" Ben Asked, sipping his drink. To his surprise, he didn't get an answer. "Uh, guys?" He asked again, and his 4 friends just looked out their windows and whistled. "GUYS?!"

-TIME BREAK-

A lightning bolt crashes in the distance of a dark purple sky... the Null Void.

"Dinner" said a voice from behind a steel door. A mail slot-like hatch opened and a green stick with yellow dots on it fell onto the cold, hard floor. A human hand picked it up... the Galvan-turned-human hand of Albedo.

"Why bother with a cell? This human body is prison enough," said Albedo, picking up the stick. "But someday... I'll be free. And they'll all pay! I will make them rue the day they met Albedo, I'll make them suffer at my hand! Azmuth... Ben Tennyson... and even that vexation of a vampire... Moka Akashiya. But until that day..." growled Albedo, throwing the stick against his cell wall, breaking it to pieces and then...

"BRING ME CHILI FRIIIIIIIIIES!"


	6. Chapter 6

In Japan's monster realm, some time after the Albedo incident; Ruby, Yukari and Mizore were once again dealing with Kokoa; whom had also found Kou last night as he flew back to her. Before she could punish him (basically hurt him in some way) for leaving her, he requested an emergency meeting since it involved where Moka and Kurumu were, so they met in Ruby's quarters again the next day.

"I'm... serious... whee..." choked the little bat, as he was being squished by the hotheaded vampire... but that only got him squeezed tighter. Fed up, she threw him down on Ruby's floor.

"QUIT LYING! ALIENS AREN'T REAL!" Yelled Kokoa. She was told by Kou that he was on another planet... and that's when she started choking him out. Moka and Kurumu on another planet? Yeah right! What a load of bollocks! Kokoa didn't notice of course, but the other 3 monster girls had 2 reactions to that bit. One was concern, as they saw how powerful Ben's aliens could be; however brief... the other was jealously. Not fair that Kurumu and Moka had the honor of seeing ACTUAL aliens first!

That's of course, assuming what the hamster-like bat said was true.

"Can't you two just conjure them up or something?" Asked Kokoa to the witch duo.

"It... doesn't work that way" said Ruby, dreading Kokoa having an outburst, which she did.

"WHY THE HELL NOT?!" The vampire screamed.

"If were gonna use a teleportation spell, we need to know point A and point B. Me and Ruby have to know EXACTLY were they ended up... and Kou's description isn't the best" explained Yukari.

"Exactly. Plus the spell was experimental, it might have been the Tottori Dunes for all we know" said Ruby, which wasn't helping Kokoa.

"IT WASN'T! IT WAS ANOTHER PLANET! WHE-GAH!" Kou claimed again, but was slapped aside by his master. He hit the screen (making a small crack) and slid down slowly with a squeak.

"Then try that! Get my sister back so I can kill her!" Yelled Kokoa. The harem girls felt awkward about this; although Kurumu and Moka were competition, that didn't mean they wanted them dead... though it _would_ make the final decision easier.

Regardless, since they knew from personal experience to NOT piss a vampire off, Ruby and Yukari went to work. As they did, Mizore could've sworn she heard a noise outside. Looking out the window, she saw some bushes rustling... Gin again? She began to leave the room when,

"Where do you think your going? It's your fault they disappeared!" Snapped Kokoa as technically, it WAS Mizore's fault.

"Well, I don't know magic, and Gin's peaking again. I'll be right back" said Mizore, in her normal tone of voice as she closed the door behind her. No one questioned her on this. With Kurumu gone, SOMEONE had to keep Gin in line.

The Snow Woman approached the bushes, and froze them by removing trademark lollipop with a blow from her mouth. She began to walk away back to Ruby's room; but low, raspy breathing came from behind the frozen plants! She craned her neck to look back... and saw something leap out at her!

( **AN:** Theme song.)

**Chapter 2: Hungry, Hungry Big Chill +** **Vampire - Part 1**

3 days earlier, after Albedo's introduction and subsequent ticket to the Null Void, Ben was riding his bike that night. He did this often as a form of exercise... only now with Moka hugging his back. Luckily for her, Kevin was a bit of a mechanic, and was able to modify the bike... Kevin grumbled as he did, asking himself how the hell did Ben do it?

At first, he had no intention of doing it, as it sounded dumb... until Kurumu tapped his shoulder, getting his attention; and pointed to the vampire girls Rosario.

Not wanting to be on the receiving end of _learning his place_ , Kevin complied. Ben was surprised to see his bike had been modified into almost motorcycle-like design, but appreciated it. The voice he's been hearing in his head commented it was: **"Because your girlfriends' wanted to _ride_ with you"**, and it was clear by his tone he was NOT referring to Julie, but Ben ignored it. This was actually confirmed when Ben asked why Kevin did something so nice.

"One of ya mistresses wanted a ride with you" Kevin said, pointing to Moka behind his shoulder with his thumb, and ironically almost repeating what the voice had said word-for-word.

As soon as those words left his lips, the girl in question immediately blushed. "Um..." was all she could say.

"You rode him?!" Yelled Kurumu, her nails coming out, thinking ride was be used in the _other_ sense.

"I-I-I-I didn't ride with Ben! A-A-At least, not yet..." Moka stuttered, not understanding the other meaning of 'ride'.

"YET?!" Kurumu roared and it was at this point, her eyes glowed and some of the tools from around the garage started coming together to form a monster. Luckily, the boys managed to restrain her and calm her down BEFORE the tool monster was fully formed.

Inner Moka revealed to Outer Moka the other day that, in addition to their Love Charm ability, succubi also have the power to cast illusions... though much to her surprise, Kurumu's appeared to be physical rather than just life-like images (Moka had also explained this to the rest of the group). Inner Moka hated to admit it, but if Kurumu had unlocked/used this power during her infamous 'Harem Plan'... even she might have had trouble dealing with her despite having S-Class attributes. That included Kuyo.

Very few succubi have such a high degree of this power, and even less can do it on the try! Which also explained why Kurumu passed out after using it. Not only that, but according to Kurumu herself, not even her own mother could cast illusions like that. Still; even though she was working on controlling this new power, the illusion magic sometimes spilled out and affected the environment whenever she got heated... HECK! Just yesterday when Moka got too close to her Mate of Fate, she accidentally brought a Mr. Smoothy billboard to life! A FREAKING BILLBOARD!

Getting back on topic, it was a nice evening drive... though kinda distracting due to 'pressure' on Ben's back, so he had to swallow a lump in his throat.

**"Hey. Now that your riding each other, I'm sure she'll give you the green light to fill her gas"** said Ben's inner voice. _'Will you PLEASE be quiet?'_ Asked Ben, feeling odd that he was talking to himself. Now that he thought about it, he only started hearing the voice after he left Yokai Academy... when his monster friends' claimed he became a vampire...

Moka felt safe while holding onto Ben as they drove, the stars flying above their heads. She tightened her grip slightly. It was peaceful, relaxing... and kinda romantic.

Until the mailbox ahead turned towards them, grew a mouth with sharp teeth, and opened like a hippo.

**Mailbox** : RRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARRRRR!

**Ben/Moka** : AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

SKKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Ben griped the hand brakes and the bike slid for a bit before stopping just an inch from getting devoured by a mailbox. The mailbox slammed its mouth shut, then turned back around and appeared to be just a normal one. Laughing was heard above the human and his vampire friend... it was Kurumu holding her belly while airborne. She didn't want to be left out, so Ben compromised and said she can have a turn as well, so she opted to fly above while she waited.

"KURUMU!" Said Ben.

"What? It's my turn anyway" she said, as she flew down and recalled her wings and tail... although the real reason was because she noticed Moka hug Ben tighter...

"Ya almost gave me a heart attack! I could've crashed!" Said Ben.

**"Well you did have 2 airbags..."** said the voice. _'Can you just be silent?! PLEASE!'_ Asked Ben. **"Or what, Achmed? You'll keel me?"** The voice retorted.

"Wait, but... what about me?" Asked Moka and frankly, she asked a good question. She couldn't fly like Kurumu... honestly, the 3 of them didn't think ahead this far.

"You can just run behind us" Kurumu suggested.

"But I'm not fast!" Said Moka, which was also true. In her current state, she was no Kineceleran.

"Then have Ben unseal you" Kurumu suggested again with a shrug. While that might have worked, as Inner Moka was certainly fast and strong (though still no Kineceleran), Ben had a short fantasy.

-FANTASY-

FLASH! _*Bat Swarm*_

Inner Moka, now released, takes in her surroundings. She raised an eyebrow in confusion, as in: _'where's the bad guy?'_ "So... Kurumu wants a turn to ride, and..." said Ben, already a little nervous. Then Inner Moka's aura flared.

**"... you called me out, for THAT?!"** Asked Inner Moka, and the next thing Ben saw was the bottom of her shoe... then stars.

-END FANTASY-

Yup... not a good idea.

VRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A green car suddenly sped past Kurumu, just barely missing her! She gasped in response, not expecting it. "HEY! WATCH WHERE YOUR GOING, ASSHOLE!" She shouted at the car, also giving it a middle finger. The car continued on, swerving back and fort as if trying to get control of itself. It hit a parked car, but just kept going. The friends heard a short conversation since the car had its windows rolled down:

"STOP THE CAR!"

"I CAN'T! THE BRAKES ARE JAMMED!"

Two boys were in that car, screaming as they barreled down the street. "I'll see ya guys at home," said Ben, turning on his Omnitrix. "Time to go to work" Ben was just about to slam down on a picture of XLR8, when the image changed itself just as Ben's hand was above his head... into an icon of himself? The girls saw this as well, but they somehow sensed what... or rather who... it was supposed to represent.

**"Don't go prehistoric, Spongebob! Let me!"** A voice in Ben's head said, and it was at this point Ben realized what it was. It wasn't his inside voice... it was his newest transformation! That's just great, another Ghostfreak situation!

Ben ignored it and turned the dial back that the dinosaur he was gonna choose, but it changed right back to the icon of himself. **"COME ON! PLEASE! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEEEEEASE?"** The voice asked again.

"Ugh, go away!" Said Ben, turning the dial in the opposite direction, but it ended with the same result. This continued back and forth, with Ben changing the dial and the dial changing back as the voice kept speaking to him.

**Vampire Ben** : **Please?**

**Ben** : No.

**Vampire Ben** : **Please?**

**Ben** : _(speaks a little more sternly)_ No.

**Vampire Ben** : _(speaks obnoxiously polite)_ **Please?**

**Ben** : No!

**Vampire Ben** : **PLEASE!**

**Ben** : NO!

**Vampire Ben** : **I'M FASTER THAN YOUR JURASSIC WORLD BLUE KNOCKOFF!**

**Ben** : LEAVE ME ALONE!

"Ben? Why are you yelling at your watch?" Asked Moka, a little concerned.

"Argh! I'll explain later!" Said Ben, snapping a little; but the girls understood why. Ben had 2 modes: Student Mode and Hero Mode. Currently, he was in the latter, and he was trying to focus. He finally managed to slam down on Big Chill, not caring anymore which alien he picked as long as it got his vampiric voice to shut up. Saying the aliens name, he flew off, not wanting to waste anymore time.

Big Chill managed to catch up just at the car turned to avoid smashing into a large truck, though it fell of the bridge and would've went for a swim if Big Chill didn't dive in first and create a giant slope of ice behind him. This freaked the 2 boys in the car even more, even as Big Chill phased through the car itself. Grabbing the bottom of the car's rear bumper, Big Chill pulled as hard as he could to stop the car, with his wings and feet pulling back as a counterbalance.

He was successful. The car was stopped and the boys were saved. With the job completed, the Necrofriggian folded his wings back into a cloak. **"Nice. I didn't have to boost you up this time"** commented the vampire in Ben's mind, but he was ignored. The 2 boys stepped out of the car, one asking what the hell Big Chill was, and the other saying that it didn't matter and thanked Big Chill for saving their lives.

...

...

...

CRUNCH!

**"WHOA! THE FUCK YOU DOING? THAT'S A NICE CAR!"** Asked Vampire Ben, but got no response other than Big Chill munching down on the car.

"Hey, that's...!" Said the kid that was driving, getting rightfully upset; but shut up when Big Chill turned and growled at both humans with bits of metal still in his mouth... then bared his teeth and hissed.

-TIME BREAK-

The next day, which was a Wednesday, Kevin was in the garage working under his car. He seemed to be doing this allot lately, especially on nights the group had been fighting DNAliens and Highbreed.

Upstairs in his bathroom while brushing his teeth, Ben gargled and spit the water he used to rinse his mouth out. As he did, his felt his tongue run along something in between his teeth... must've missed something. Instead of wasting some floss, he tried using his tongue first and much to his surprise, whatever was stuck came out. Good thing too, cause it tasted bitter. He reached into his mouth with a finger and thumb, getting ahold of something... pointy?

It was a small, thin piece of metal. ( **AN** : Real quick... HOW! Do you miss a giant piece of metal in your mouth while brushing you teeth?! Just asking. To me, a small thin strip makes a little more sense.)

"The heck? Where'd this come from?" Ben asked out loud. Just to make sure he wasn't still dreaming, he tapped the metal against the sink's spout. It made a ping sound, when metal clinks against another metal.

**"Whatdaya mean; _where'd this come from_? YOUR the one who ate the car!"** Vampire Ben piped in.

"What? What are ya talking about?" Asked Ben, looking down at his Omnitrix while confused and shocked. It seemed appropriate to look at the watch when speaking to his inner vampire... to him anyway.

**"Yeah. Ya started tearing it up like Gabriel Iglesias and chocolate cake. Those 2 kids just abandoned ship and swam away from the ice island you made... especially after that hiss. You were so angry, sounded like an Xenomorph Queen giving birth"** explained Vampire Ben.

"I ATE. A CAR?!" Repeated Ben. **"That, and a motorcycle... the rails of the bridge... a Ronald McDonald statue..."** the vampire added in.

"This is bad" said Ben.

**"I know. Too much iron's bad for your heart"** said Vampire Ben.

"Something might be wrong with my powers again" said Ben, thinking off the _last_ time something like this happened.

**"Or ya just had 3 too many Happy Meals"** shrugged Vampire Ben, which got the Human Ben staring down at the watch unamused. **"Its a fucking joke, cool your ass"** snapped the vampire.

"Well... why did I do it?" Asked Ben, eyeing the watch with suspicion.

**"Beats me. I'm a vampire, not an Elsa/Spider-Man love child... ya even went into the desert for some reason..."** said Vampire Ben.

"HA! So you DO have something to do with it!" Claimed Ben.

**"Wha? Wha? W-W-W-WHAT?!"** Asked Vampire Ben, unsure why Ben was blaming him all of a sudden.

"You took control of me again!" Said Ben.

**"Aw great, here we go... listen bro. Like I told Moka, I'm NOT! Like Casper the Freaky Ghost!"** The vampire defended himself.

"Tell me the truth! What are you planning to do with all that metal?" Demanded Ben, thinking it was something like Ghostfreak's/Zs'Skayr's plans.

**"Why the FUCK... would I want to eat metal?! Vampire, dude. VAMPIRE! My teeth aren't made for that shit!"** Said Vampire Ben.

"Well if your not planning anything, why control me like back at Yokai?" Asked Ben.

**"HEY! YOU... were the one who selected... ME! I just shut the fox up cause he wouldn't stop saying shit... and he was FUCKING ANNOYING! Not my fault you can't remember, but don't start coming at me just cause I did YOUR job for you!"** Snapped Vampire Ben, going silent after saying his piece.

Ben groaned and went to his room to put fresh clothes on. He'll discuss this with the others downstairs.

-TIME BEAK-

At the same time while Ben was brushing his teeth, Gwen had walked inside since the garage itself was wide open; she was holding a pamphlet of some kind. She tossed it on Kevin's left leg, which it fell off, hoping to get his attention... it didn't work.

"Ahem" Gwen said with a smile. Still no response. "Ahem!" She said again, louder this time and getting a little annoyed... still nothing. She raised her hand, about to use her mana abilities to pull him out from underneath; but spotted Kurumu talking to Moka and dispelled it, getting a better idea. The Tennyson cousin heard one of the monster girls say something about Ben not coming home until 3AM, that Big Chill phased into the room and once he was put back in the Omnitrix, Ben just plopped on the bed passed out.

That didn't matter much to Gwen at the moment, nor did it raise any red flags as Ben did that sometimes with her and Kevin with the DNAliens.

"Kurumu" she called, to which the succubus looked up. Gwen only needed to point down. Using a tiny bit of her Illusion magic, Kurumu's eyes glowed and the toolbox next to Kevin growled. The ruffian under the car looked in the sounds direction with confusion... the toolbox next to him had a monster face on it, and it gave a screech.

"WAH!" Kevin freaked, and...

BANG!

"ARGH!"

Rolling himself out from under the car, Kevin had a hand over his face in pain since he tried getting up fast and banged his head. "Ugh, the hell?" He moaned.

Now using her own power, Gwen used mana to gently (albeit a little forcefully) pull Kevin's hand off his face, dispelling her power now that she got Kevin's attention. Kevin looked up at Gwen with confusion, the girl above him had her hands on her hips. "What?" He asked, annoyed that he and 'his baby' got interrupted.

All he got was an index finger pointing to the pamphlet next to him, which was now near his head. Kevin eyeballed in the direction Gwen pointed, seeing the paper and picked it up. He looked at it, then back up at Gwen. "... you drop this?"

Moka just stared, and Kurumu facepalmed. **"And I thought Ben was an idiot"** commented Moka's Rosario.

Gwen just made a gesture with her hands that said: _open it_. Kevin eyed the Anodite, then opened the pamphlet. "Oh, wow; look at that. There's a formal dance next Friday" said Gwen.

"... aaaaaaand?" Asked Kevin.

"Oh, for the love... SHE WANTS YOU TO TAKE HER, YOU BUFFOON!" Yelled Kurumu, not able to contain herself anymore. Really, were all American boys this dense? At least Ben picked up on her hints, and she was a monster from halfway across the globe, AND another world for crying out loud!

Kevin had looked in Kurumu's direction upon that outburst, then back down at the dance paper before looking back up at Gwen. It's not that he didn't understand her asking him to take her to a dance, its just... why did she pick HIM? "You... want _me_ , to take you?" Asked Kevin.

"Great! Pick me up at 7!" Said Gwen, turning and walking away.

"WHAT? W-WAIT A SECOND! GWEN!" Kevin called back to Gwen, getting up to follow her out. As Moka and Kurumu watched this, they then heard the door open that connected the garage to the main house.

"Ben!" Said Moka, smiling and running to Ben, hugging him once she got close enough. Kurumu was jealous at this, but figured Ben must've had a crazy night since he didn't come home until VERY late, so she let it slide. "Are you ok?" Asked the vampire in a worried tone.

"Yeah, though I can't stress the importance of flossing" said Ben. Moka and Kurumu first thought that was a joke, but heard the seriousness in Ben's voice. "This was in my teeth" he continued, presenting the metal strip. Of course, the girls were surprised.

"Uh... why?" Asked Kurumu, blinking a few times at the metal strip before looking at Ben.

"Well according to _someone_ , I had a few midnight snacks" said Ben, glancing at his watch-like device as he said this. He half-expected the vampire to answer, but he got no response this time.

**"How is your mouth not slit ope... never mind"** Inner Moka began to ask, but then recanted it. According to the pink haired vampire and the bluenette succubus, he was in alien form at the time.

"I think the better question is: why were you gone so long?" Asked Moka.

"Long? I'm only in alien form for 10 minutes" said Ben.

"You came home as Big Chill... at 3AM" said Kurumu, and that got Ben's mouth to drop. From when Ben left them, that was no 10 minutes... that was 6 HOURS!

"Yeah... somethings definitely wrong with the watch again" said Ben. This didn't come as a surprise to the girls, as Ben had mentioned he's had a few problems with the watch in the past. The first one was, although they hadn't seen it yet, was the malfunctions when choosing an alien form. He also mentioned something about one of his transformations going rouge, but never went into too much detail. They weren't gonna pester him about it though, as it wasn't any of their business unless he was willing to share... didn't mean they weren't curious.

Another thing was the time spent in the form, wasn't the watch supposed to prevent that somehow? So that the aliens' personalities and behaviors don't overwhelm his own? Ya know, 10 minutes at a time?

Kevin walked back inside the garage, apparently missing Gwen as she made her escape. "Hey, Ben? You dated 5 times back in Japan, right?" Kevin asked Ben.

"... dated... that's the word. Why do you wanna know?" Said Ben, as that wasn't exactly what happened. How was he supposed to know 5 monsters' would start clinging to him everyday?

"Gwen invited to me to some dance... I think she might expect me to take her" said Kevin.

While Moka just stared dumbfounded, Kurumu started pulling the hair out of the sides of her head at Kevin's stupidity while hissing through her teeth. She was a succubus, so love and/or affection was a soft spot for her. Gwen claimed Kevin could be cute and funny, and a bit charming at times; so it was aggravating to Kurumu that the Anodites potential Mate of Fate was being an idiot... ESPECIALLY since Gwen had asked him once point-blank: 'why haven't you asked me out yet?'

**"Smart enough to frame Ben and almost kill him 4 times, yet can't tell when a girls interested?"** Commented Inner Moka, as Ben mentioned his run-ins with Kevin before. Again, it's not that Kevin was stupid, he was just in shock that Gwen was choosing him.

"So take her" said Ben.

"But its at her fancy prep school, with a dinner and everything! Will I have to waltz, o-o-or use a finger fork?!" Asked Kevin, getting a little nervous.

"Well if she wants you to dance, then dance" said Ben.

"But..." Kevin began.

"And there's, no such thing as finger forks" said Ben.

"Sure there is, those small wooden picks them fancy folk use" said Kevin.

RIP!

Kurumu ripped a few locks of her hair out, and Moka just continued to stare. **"You have GOT to be kidding"** deadpanned Inner Moka.

"Kev, those are... just pain toothpicks" Ben sighed. "See? If I was preppy guy; I'd KNOW that!" Said Kevin.

"You've helped save the world Kev, and you survived the Null Void and back; pretty sure you can handle a dance" praised Ben, which boosted Kevin's confidence a little bit. "I'm also having problems... alien problems, so I was wondering..." Ben began to ask, but Kevin cut him off without really paying attention since his mind was on Gwen.

"I might need to rent a DvD on dancing... and one on forks, just to be safe" said Kevin before leaving the garage. It was pretty obvious that he had feelings for Gwen as much as she did for him, though he appeared to be shy about it.

"Thanks Kev!" Said Ben, watching the Osmosian leave and losing the only person with extensive knowledge on aliens.

"What are you gonna do now?" Moka asked Ben. As bad as she and Kurumu felt for Ben, they were NOT aliens in the slightest; so its not like they could help him out.

"Actually, maybe its got something to do with your new vampire form. You said he sped you up, so maybe it took control of you again?" Asked Kurumu, Ben having mentioned Big Chills speed increase on Turrawuste.

"He says he didn't" answered Ben.

"How do you know?" Asked Moka.

"He told me. I've been hearing him in my head lately... allot... Sometimes he won't shut up" said Ben, and that got the girls a little concerned. Did him hearing voices in his head signify he was losing himself to the vampires personality? Azmuth had said the watch wasn't initially designed for monster DNA.

"Aaaaaaaand you believe him?" Asked Kurumu.

"Don't have a reason not to... yet" said Ben. **"I don't NEED! To control that wimpy human body of yours, thank you very much!"** Commented the vampire himself.

"Why not ask Gwen?" Asked Moka, as Gwen was an alien herself... or at least partly one.

"She's... not a fan of ghost aliens" said Ben.

"Why not?" Asked Kurumu, and that's when Ben had a quick flashback when Ghostfreak/Zs'Skayr possessed her and almost made her jump off a roof. _*stutter*_ Those eyes...

"... she doesn't like talking about it" Ben said and frankly, he didn't either. While it was an eye-opener and an experience he'll never forget (nor be able too), he'd much rather keep it behind him.

**"Ya could ask... I don't know... your girlfriend?"** Suggested Vampire Ben.

"What would Julie know?" Asked Ben aloud while looking at this Omnitrix, making Moka and Kurumu even more worried about him. Moka had an excuse since she WAS in fact, two people in one. The watch however, only alters Ben's DNA and body for a short time, which was totally different.

**"I'm just saying, MAYBE she'll wanna help you... worse she could say is no, right?"** Asked Vampire Ben.

The guy wasn't wrong. Julie was a kind girl, and smarts to go along with her looks, which was an added bonus. Figuring he might as well give it a shot, Ben pulled out his cell phone and dialed Julie's number.

"Hello?" Her voice answered after a few rings.

"Hey, Jewels; its Ben" said the Omnitrix teen... and unbeknownst to him, the pet name he gave Julie made the monster girls somewhat triggered. Not like they could really do anything about it though; he DID currently have a girlfriend, and Moka and Kurumu were NOT the kind of girls who cheat despite their feelings for Ben.

They COULD still show Ben affection (which Kurumu does ALLOT), as there was no rule against it in the dating world; they just couldn't act on it. And as much as they liked Julie, that doesn't mean they don't secretly hope Julie flies the coop or breaks up with Ben, but those two appeared to be peas in a pod. Nothing'll tear them apart easily, and both monsters' were genuinely happy Ben was happy... though they still wished it was because of one of them.

"You free? I need to talk to you" asked Ben.

"I'm practicing at the school tennis court... HA! You can stop by if you want" said Julie, as a shot was shown of her swinging a racket and hitting a small ball.

"Thanks, Julie. I'll be right over" said Ben.

"See ya then" said Julie, kindly. Then hung up and hit another ball that came at her. Hanging up his own phone, Ben left his home with Moka and Kurumu going with him.

-TIME BREAK-

PONG! WHACK!

Julie hit yet another tennis ball from a machine that was shooting them at her at regular intervals. Ben had arrived with Moka and Kurumu by walking, as only one of them could ride his bike with him... and he was sure no one would just gloss over the fact that a girl was running crazy fast (Inner Moka) or flying alongside him (Kurumu). He was gonna use his powers, but opted not to for aforementioned reasons. If one good thing came out of this, it was that JT and Cash happened to walk by and see Ben walking with 2 of the 4 hotties he took on a date last year... oh, how Ben wished he had a camera.

"Hey, Julie" greeted Ben, as he and Moka entered the tennis court. Hearing her boyfriends voice, she smiled.

"Hey, guys... HA! Moka, you mind turning off the machine for me?" Said Julie cheerfully, then whacked another ball. Moka walked over to it.

"Um... which button? Asked the shy vampire, as another ball shot out only for the pro tennis player to gracefully knock it away.

"HA! Top green button, the one on the right" Julie said, hitting yet another ball.

**"Why Ben would date her is beyond me... she's not even physically impressive"** Inner Moka commented, giving her opinion. Moka didn't have the same pride as her inner self, so to her that sounded kinda rude. Moka shut the machine off and now that she looked, there were only 3 balls behind Julies person, with a large number of balls behind the machine itself. Moka estimated a total of maybe 146 balls... possibly more. That meant out of all the balls in this machines barrel... Julie only missed 3 times.

_'Be nice. She does have good hand-eye coordination'_ thought Moka back to her inner self.

**"Fine. But she's still a little princess, kidnap repeatedly and lock in another castle material. What could she possibly offer him that we can't?"** Asked Inner Moka, at least acknowledging one of Julies skills. Outer Moka was about to reprimand her, even though she felt bad about Ben moving on, but it wasn't like she and Ben made anything official...

Hang on... what did her S-Class counterpart just say? The way she worded it her last statement made Moka pause. _'Inner Me... are you... jealous?'_ Asked Moka.

...

...

...

She got no response for that one.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Julie walked over to Ben just as Moka also returned. "So, what's up? More cool alien stuff?" Asked Julie, knowing her boyfriend well.

**"Damn. Smart and to-the-point, I like her... actually, can you twist your arm to the left?"** Commented Vampire Ben, then asked his own question.

_'Why?'_ Asked Ben.

**"I'm in your watch, not your eyes. Already saw your first 5 girlfriends, but Julie? Can I get a littllllllllle... look-see?"** Asked Vampire Ben, a little creepily. It was at that point Ben pulled down and covered the Omnitrix faceplate with more of his jackets sleeve. **"COME OOOOON! NOT EVEN A PEAK?!"** He complained upon not getting his way.

"More concerning than cool. Last time I used the watch, I blacked out. Didn't come home till 3 o'clock this morning" Ben explained.

Now, Julie wasn't gonna TRY and pretend she knew what Ben was going through. She could attempt to understand, but she didn't have _the coolest watch in the universe_ , nor any superhuman abilities of her own like his 2 monster friends. All she really could do was provide support for her man.

"Weird... does it happen often?" Asked Julie, wanting to gather a little more information before suggesting anything. All she knew about the watch was whatever Ben told her, which was that it allowed him to change into aliens. He also said it was handy at allowing him to blend in while he was in the monster realm (which also sounded really cool, and she'd love to see it someday), or on this prison ship he once had to visit since his watch was gonna blow up.

That last one sounded like a blast.

"Its... not supposed to. Funny part is, I only remember selecting an alien but, that's about it" said Ben.

"And he found metal in his teet- MMPH!" Kurumu added, but Moka slapped her mouth shut a little too late, making Julie more concerned. Remaining calm, she dug into her bag that she had placed on a nearby bench, pulling out a notebook.

"How about you transform again, and I'll follow you. I'll record everything that happens, even Moka and Kurumu can as well, and you can read them afterwards" Julie smiled.

**"While that's fine and dandy, how does a human keep up with an alien?"** Asked Inner Moka, bringing up a valid point. While the tennis player's plan did sound solid, from what Inner Moka's seen Ben change into a few times, many of his forms can rival some of the fastest monsters' alive... INCLUDING a werewolf! That's not even bringing up the fact that some aliens can fly, so how did 'Princess Julie' think she'd able to record EVERYTHING Ben might do?

Moka repeated this back, but in a nicer way. "Can you keep up though? Your not 10+ aliens like Ben or monsters' like me, Inner and Kurumu" said Moka innocently, then slapped her own mouth shut upon slipping up 'Inner'.

"Inner?" Julie questioned with a raised eyebrow. What was that supposed to mean?

"Uhhhh, that's right! Maybe Kurumu can carry you or something" interjected Ben, quickly changing the subject.

"Do I LOOK like a fucking bus to you?" Kurumu asked with slight aggravation, as carrying people seemed to be her job sometimes.

**"Yup. A big, yellow suck-u-bus"** said Vampire Ben. Human Ben had to hold back a groan. This vampires comments [while some were somewhat funny, Ben had to admit] were getting quite annoying... and sadly, it appeared to be embracing this fact; if the echoing snickering in Ben's head were any indication.

-TIME BREAK-

They decided to meet in a parking lot later that evening, so this way Ben and the 2 monster girls could keep their secret identities without freaking out the general pubic. Julie revealed she had a electric scooter and while it wasn't too impressive, it would at least give her some momentum should Ben fly/run off somewhere. Moka would also ride with her, while Kurumu would follow from the air. Julie didn't mind of course, but had asked Moka why she couldn't just take her vampire form to keep up. Ben chimed in, saying she gets tired in her true form easily, which was the reason that Rosario was always around her neck.

Not 100% honest... but not a total lie either.

Julie gave Moka and Kurumu a few pages for them as well, this way if they get separated, they'd still be able to write down whatever Ben does. "We'll get to the bottom of this. You ready?" Asked Julie, looking at Ben it with a smile.

Ben couldn't help but smile back. Despite not having any powers of her own, Julie was trying to help anyway she could; and if that didn't, he also had his 2 monster friends. "Ready as ever" said Ben, turning on the alien selection. "Maybe I should go Grey Matter, or maybe Diamondhead?" Questioned Ben, wondering whom he should pick. He didn't want a form that was too fast or too hard to see, then he'd lose the group. He also didn't want something too strong, as that might endanger them or other people should they be around.

"Ditto maybe?" Suggested Moka, as even if one clone got separated, they'd eventually have to get back together or Ben couldn't change back.

"Or Fourarms?" Suggested Kurumu... though she had a blush on her face upon saying him.

"I don't know... Fourarms might be dangerous, and Ditto's... well, Ditto" said Ben, remembering the _side effect_ Ditto came with.

**"How about m-?"** Asked Vampire Ben, to which Ben replied a quick 'no' in his head.

"How's about Jetray? From the pier" asked Julie, as that alien was her introduction to Ben's crazy side life. While he might be just as dangerous, he had very thin limbs, so it'd be easier to keep up with him if they slowed him down. Ben pulled up Jetray's image, and raised his hand.

"Ok... here goes..." said Ben, slamming down the Omnitrix. "JE-..." Was all Jetray got to say before he was suddenly switched with: "BIG CHILL!"

"Big Chill?" Asked Julie.

"Ben didn't pick you!" Said Kurumu. This creeped the girls out a little, as they literally just saw Jetray a second ago; only for him to shift into Big Chill before their very eyes without a good reason, so the watch misreading a command and giving him the wrong Hero wasn't an excuse this time. Ben had either:

A) Have this 'Master Control' he mentioned enabled... which he claimed was a function he unlocked purely by accident, and had no idea how to reactivate it.

OR

B) Change in-between forms by turning the emblem on his body... which he did not do either.

So as of right now, there was no explanation as to how or why Big Chill was let out. The alien mothman flew off and luckily not at too fast of a pace; so Julie, Moka and Kurumu could keep up. He landed a mile away to a small Burger Shack, which was more of a giant kitchen like Checkers/Rally's rather than a walk-in restaurant like McDonald's. The alien kept pushing the buzzer on the order window, almost as if he was hungry... seemed pretty innocent.

Until he ATE the buzzer, spitting out the red button once he finished chewing and swallowing the rest of the metal.

"Alright, alright! I'm coming to... AHHHHHH!" Screamed a female employee, who came out of the door after hearing the buzzer go off like 10 times, but then freaked out and ran from the alien she was seeing. She was also carrying a tray with a nice-looking burger and fresh fries, but she dropped it for obvious reasons. Big Chill looked down at the food near his feet, only picking up the tray and feasting on it like a chipmunk.

He was still hungry it seemed, for he eyed the support beams nearby that housed a sitting area. There was only one other customer there who had a pair of headphones in his ears, and didn't hear the employee scream due to loud music playing in them. As he was enjoying his drink, he felt someone breathe down his neck... literally. "Bro, can you..." said the costumer, getting up and turning to tell the person to stop breathing down his neck... only it wasn't a _person_.

"Mooooove..." was all Big Chill had to say to get the kid backing up and running to his car to drive off. With no more obstacle in his way, Big Chill chowed down on the support beam and...

CRASH!

The girls taking notes had to look away and raise their hands in defense because of the dust cloud that formed. They looked back quickly in concern, but saw just before Big Chill would've gotten squashed like a bug; he must've went intangible, cause he returned to being solid and continued feasting on the pile of scrap metal that he created. After 2 minutes of that, he flew up and also ate the burger the Burger Boy statue on top of the diner... then the statues head like a Facehugger from the Alien franchise.

Julie, Moka and Kurumu could only stare. "... Huston... we have a problem" said Julie.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 3: Hungry, Hungry Big Chill + Vampire - Part 2**

Ben awoke in a ditch in the town's outback by sunrise, unsure how he got there. "W-What happened?" He asked, holding his head.

 **"Have a nice nap?"** Asked Vampire Ben.

"How... did I get here?" Asked Ben, still trying to understand what was going on. **"Good morning to you too"** said Vampire Ben.

"Where's Moka... and Julie and Kurumu?" Ben asked, apparently not paying attention to or not hearing the vampire in his brain.

 **"Probably at that dead end you left them at... poor Kurumu"** commented Vampire Ben, and that got Ben nervous.

"W-What did I do?" Ben asked in panic.

 **"Calm down, I'm sure she's fine. Ya just froze her to the side of a building, then flew through an apartment... that one single mom was getting out of the shower too..."** Vampire Ben explained.

"But I chose Jetray" said Ben.

 **"Yeah, well the watch chose Big Chill... that statue and bus didn't stand a chance"** said Vampire Ben.

Ben groaned, NOW the watch decides to give him the wrong guy, and NOW look what happened. Deciding to forget that (especially the single mom bit), Ben pulled out his cell phone and called Kevin to come get him, as there was no WAY he was risking using the Omnitrix again; not until he figures out what happened last night and why.

He could ask Vampire Ben, but he didn't know if he could take his full word on it...

Kevin was on a couch watching a DVD on dancing, with 2 more next to his lap... along with 3 additional ones about proper fork etiquette. His phone rang, so he had to use a remote to pause the film. "Kevin Levin."

"Kev? It's me" Answered Ben.

"I'm kinda educating myself with dancing and forks right now" said Kevin, as he was trying to focus on his current task.

"Yeah, great; and I'm in a ditch. Mind picking me up?" Asked Ben.

"Go Hero, you'll be home in no time" said Kevin.

"Its uh... dead," Ben white-lied, then realized something. "Wait a second... you don't own a DVD player!"

"I crash at Argit's from time-to-time. He's got a nice DvD player, says it was a steal" said Kevin, making Ben facepalm. How did Kevin find that alien porcupine a friend again?

"Whatever just... pick me up" said Ben.

"Fine, I'm coming" said Kevin, hanging up and getting his stuff. "Argit, I'm heading out!" Kevin called from inside. Outside, Argit was presenting Kevin's car to an alien-like being and said alien was handing Argit a huge wad of cash. Hearing Kevin's voice, the alien porcupine panicked.

"Go, go, go! Scram!" Argit shooed the other alien away, in which it teleported away somehow. Kevin walked out, but eyed Argit with suspicion since he heard him tell someone to scram. "Heheheh... AND DON'T COME BACK!" Argit laughed nervously, then looked off into the distance, as if he was protecting Kevin's car from a theft.

Choosing to deal with his 'friend' later, Kevin got into the car while still eyeing Argit, then drove off.

-TIME BREAK-

As soon as Ben walked into the door with Kevin, Moka immediately ran and hugged him... Kurumu was a little sour for some reason, but also hugged him. "Where have you been? Your mom was asking where you were... she can be scary" said Moka, asking where Ben was in a worried voice, then changed to fear upon recalling Ben's mother.

"Good question" said Ben.

"Well; be thankful we covered for you, jerk" said Kurumu. Ben realized why she was upset, guess what his inner vampire had said was somewhat accurate.

Then his stomach growled... VERY loudly. The poor boy held his stomach for a quick second. "Ugh... is there anything to eat in here?" He said, walking quickly into the kitchen.

"Hold up there, Benji!" Called Kevin, going after Ben as he just recalled something important. Inside the Kitchen, Ben grabbed a jar of pickles and popped one in his mouth, chewing it slowly and happily. While he was enjoying his snack, he jumped when Kevin appeared behind him.

"... pickle?" Asked Ben, holding up the jar.

"Will you forget about the pickles? We got a major problem!" Said Kevin.

"Oh yeah, my powers. Moka, Kurumu and Julie and I... AW SHOOT, WHERE'S JULIE?!" Said Ben, remembering last night he was having the girls follow him so they could record what he did, also not noticing Kevin had his arms folded with impatience.

"BEN! I GOT NOTHING TO WEAR TO THE DANCE TONIGHT!" Yelled Kevin, not paying attention to anything Ben just said since his mind was on the upcoming dance.

"You can borrow a tux if you want. Here, I'll show you" said Ben, leading Kevin to his room while still carrying the pickle jar. Moka and Kurumu watched them, even as both boys passed them before following.

"Doesn't Ben hate pickles?" Moka asked Kurumu, but the only answer she got from the succubus was a shrug.

In Ben's room, still eating the pickles by the way, he was going through his closet. "You'll look great in it, Kevin. It's one of Grandpa Max's tuxes" said Ben, taking yet another pickle and eating it. Moka and Kurumu sat on his bed while Kevin waited for Ben to get out the suit.

"He wasn't exactly the skinniest guy in the world" said Kevin, as Ben finally pulled out a nice tux that was in the back of his closet. It was actually behind his Yokai Academy uniform, which he also pulled out.

Kevin's only thought for that thing was: yuck. He had to WEAR that thing? Moka and Kurumu's uniforms at least looked decent!

"It's when he was younger, just try it" said Ben, handing Kevin the tux. He gave it a once over and figured _'eh, could be worse'_. He left Ben's room to try it on and a few minutes later, he returned to Ben's room from the bathroom. He didn't think it was too bad, but still felt a little skittish... was Gwen gonna like it?

"Don't you look dashing" commented Ben. **"Yeah... fucking James Bond over here"** commented the other Ben.

Kevin reached into the pocket of the tux, and did the cuff links that were inside easily enough... though the bow tie was another story. "Don't these come with clips or something?" Asked Kevin, trying to do the tie. Moka and Kurumu had to hold back giggles upon seeing Kevin struggle, his face looked adorable!

"Not when your older than 12" said Ben and once Kevin got his finger caught (the girls giggles were slightly released upon that), Ben took it upon himself to tie it for Kevin.

"I'm not like those fancy prep school guys! Gimme a break!" Said Kevin, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Which is why she wants YOU to take her, and not them... there!" Said Ben, finishing the tie. Kevin looked down at himself... he liked what he saw. "You'll knock'em out, Kev. What do you guys think?" Ben asked the 2 girls in the room, eating a pickle as he did so.

Kevin got a little nervous again, not knowing what those 2 would say. Sure he thought he looked good, but Moka and Kurumu were monsters'! They could have completely different tastes... why else would they latch on someone like Ben?

Both monsters' checked out Kevin from top to bottom. The vampire just sat on the bed, while the succubus got up and looked up and down Kevin with a hand under her chin, making the Osmosian even more anxious.

"... Not bad. Not bad at all" said Kurumu. "Yeah, you look really handsome" said Moka, which made Kevin smile and gave his confidence a boost... maybe having those 2 around wasn't so bad after all.

Ben ate the last pickle in the jar, then drank the juice from it, which the other 3 couldn't help but stare at. "Mmm. Wonder if we have more of these... OH! And maybe some mushroom pizza" said Ben, taking the empty pickle jar and leaving the room. As he grabbed the knob, he turned to Kevin. "Oh, and Gwen likes yellow roses" he added before closing the door behind him.

"Mushrooms?" The 3 monster girls asked each other, as Ben had mentioned having not a good experience with them.

"Hey um, girls?" Kevin asked, sounding unsure.

"What?" Asked Kurumu.

"What color croissant should I get Gwen?" Asked Kevin, making both monsters' raise eyebrows immediately.

"Uh, croissant?" Moka asked.

"Yeah, I saw it on one of the DvD's I rented. Their flowers that go around fancy girls' wrists" said Kevin.

Both girls would've normally face faulted, but just blankly stared at Kevin instead. "COR-SAGE!" They both shouted at him.

-TIME BREAK-

The night of the dance had finally arrived, though it wouldn't officially begin for another 2 hours. Julie was reading her notebook on what happened with Ben/Big Chill last night, trying to figure out what could be wrong with her boyfriend but alas, she didn't have a clue... and it wasn't like there was a book in the local library called: _Alien Behavior for Dummies_. Looking up, she happened to see Gwen walking down the path. She immediately walked up quickly toward the Tennyson cousin, hoping she had seen the alien-morpher after he disappeared.

Gwen noticed her, and the concerned look on her face. "Julie? What's up?" Asked Gwen.

"Have you seen Ben?" Asked Julie.

"Not recently, something wrong?" Asked Gwen.

"Yes... well, I'm not sure. Me, Moka and Kurumu were with him yesterday; but I haven't seen him since he turned into Big Chill by accident" said Julie.

"Yeah, the watch does that sometimes... though its been quite awhile since then" said Gwen, thinking Julie was only concerned about Ben's powers messing up, which was nothing new to the Anodite anyway.

"Yeah, he's mentioned that; but he also just disappeared" said Julie.

"That's just part of being the alien" said Gwen, assuring Julie nothing was wrong.

"I don't know, Gwen. I'm just worried" said Julie.

"I'm sure he's fine; he's been through worse... though I'm more worried about Kevin. He's been acting really strange since I asked him to the dance..." said Gwen, then noticed someone or rather... some _people_ , approaching Julie's scooter as if using it as a landmark to find her.

Gwen leaned to the side of Julie, which got the tennis player's attention and turned around to see what Gwen was seeing. "Speaking of strange... hey, guys" said Gwen; as it was revealed that Ben, Moka and Kurumu were the ones walking to Julies scooter. Hearing Gwen's voice indirectly call them, Ben and the two monsters' looked to see Gwen and Julie, one of them being the girl Ben was hoping to find.

"I'll catch up with you later" Gwen said, walking home to get ready for tonight.

Seeing her boyfriend alright, Julie's face lit up with a smile and hugged Ben by putting her arms around his neck... not seeing it made 2 certain girls jealous, but they held it in.

"I was so worried about you, Ben! Why didn't you call me?" Asked Julie.

"Sorry. I'm worried too, just... going through allot, ya know?" Said Ben.

Once again, Julie was NOT gonna pretend she could relate. It must be hard juggling 10+ aliens and being a hero all the time, so she was willing to let Ben's slip-up slide as long as he was safe and sound.

"Where did you go yesterday? After you flew through that building, I heard a woman screaming, what happened?" Asked Julie, making Ben mentally flinch.

 **"SEE! I TOLD YOU!"** Shouted Vampire Ben.

"I... honestly don't remember. I woke up in the outskirts of town and had to call Kevin to get me. How much did you guys record?" Asked Ben.

Julie flipped her notebook to the page(s) she was using to record Ben's activities yesterday. "6:30PM - Transformed into Jetray, saying part of its name before becoming Big Chill instead and exclaiming: Big Chill!... Why do you do that again?" Said Julie, then asked what was the point of shouting an alien name.

 **"Strikes fear into his enemies or some shit..."** commented one Ben. "Eh, not important, go on" said the other Ben.

 **Julie** : 6:31 - Followed Big Chill to Burger Shack, where he pressed the order button 15 times, and ate buzzer. 6:32 - Ate a tray a waiter was carrying, then told some guy to move, and ate drive-in stalls. 6:35 - Ate giant metal Burger.

 **Vampire Ben** : **TOLD YOU!**

 **Julie** : 6:36 - Ate giant Burger Boy head eating giant metal burger like a Facehugger.

 **Vampire Ben** : **TOLD YOU AGAIN!**

**Ben:** _(To Vampire Ben, while mentally groaning) 'Alright...'_

**Julie** : 6:38 - Ate a bus, scaring off driver. 6:40 - Ate a Car Wash sign. 6:41 - Ate the Car Wash.

 **Vampire Ben** : **That's one way to use mouthwash...**

 **Ben** : _(To Vampire Ben)_ ' _Knock it off.'_

 **Julie:** 6:45 - Followed Big Chill to dead end, where he flew through a building, causing a woman to scream.

 **Vampire Ben** : **Do I have to say it?**

 **Ben** : _(To Vampire Ben) 'YOU'VE MADE YOUR POINT!'_

 **Julie** : 6:46 - Kurumu followed behind and telling Big Chill to chill. And 6:47 - Drove around with Moka to the other side, only to find Kurumu frozen on a wall with her head sticking out and struggling to free herself. She then exclaimed: "get me the hell outta here", and I picked up a piece of a partially-eaten streetlamp to free her.

Moka presented her own notes, which was almost an exact a mirror image of Julies'. Kurumu was reluctant to share her's, but handed Ben her set... which had multiple hearts around the page with KK+BT drawn in them, and a stick figure doodle of 2 people (a boy and a girl) holding hands and smiling in the center.

 **Ben** : _(stares down at Kurmu's notes, blinking once)_ ... good notes... _(looks up at Julie)_ no wonder you and Moka get straight A's.

"You don't remember any of that? Any at all?" Asked Julie, which Ben responded with a sad shake of his head. He also had the same look in his eyes when he lashed out at Yukari when she first came around, so Moka and Kurumu could tell he was feeling guilty. In his own words, these aliens were apart of him, so it must feel frustrating when he had no idea what was going on or any control of his actions.

"Ugh... its happening all over again..." Ben sighed.

"Again?" Asked Julie, as Ben never mentioned the incident that happened during that fateful summer vacation years ago. The only ones that did were the 2 monsters present. Instead of telling them however, Ben decided to show them. He lifted up his Omnitrix and turned it on. Sure enough, it was on Big Chill, but he cycled through his roster. The girls were confused, he wasn't gonna try using his powers NOW, was he? Nah, he wasn't that stupid.

He went past a brown dinosaur, then a monkey with multiple limbs, he even scrolled past a stone-like being that seemed related to Diamondhead until landing on the one he was looking for...

...

...

...

Ghostfreak.

All 3 girls visibly flinched. What the watch was showing was... it was quite a sight alright. That... _thing_... was an alien? It looked more demonic than anything. Long arms that had long, sharp nails; a ghost-like tail that curled in on itself and creepiest of all; its head was UPSIDE DOWN! The mouth also had sharp, jagged teeth and a single eye; adding onto its already menacing appearance.

Now Moka (as Inner Moka) and Kurumu had heard Ben call out this aliens name during his fight with Albedo; but they only saw a small glimpse of him. Kurumu was busy trying to get out of the packaging foam, and Inner Moka didn't see Ghostfreak since he rammed into Big Chill quickly (plus it was kinda dark). That's when the impostor went Heatblast and burst into flames to throw the Ectonurite off of him, then Ben quickly changed to Diamondhead before either monster could get a good look.

"W-What... is that?" Asked Julie, scared at the sight of Ghostfreak, yet unable to take her eyes off of it. There's no way Ben became... that... had he?

"Ghostfreak" said Ben.

"Wait... THAT'S GHOSTFREAK?!" Asked Kurumu, her voice shaking. She thought ghosts were supposed to be fluffy white spirits... not _that_. Moka, even Inner Moka watching through Outer's eyes, had no words. If she was out, even _she_ would be wide eyed at the creature showing itself around Ben's wrist.

"He... escaped the watch, and... tried to possess me to control the Omnitrix. He also tried to destroy the sun... so he'd be unstoppable" Ben said, giving a VERY brief summary, as those memories still haunt him to this day.

If the girls weren't wide eyed before, they sure were now. Destroying the sun meant Ghostfreak would get stronger? That would also cause the planet to ice over in mere hours, and millions if not BILLIONS of people would freeze to death! And since the realm of monsters was parallel to this one, they'd also be affected! If Ben losing the watch was scary, the fact that only a single alien had that kind of power was absolutely bloodcurdling.

"Is he...?" Asked Moka, whom was about to ask Ben if the alien in question was still dangerous.

"No," Ben said, already predicting at least one of the girls would ask that question. "Gwen and I destroyed his original body, but the Omnitrix reabsorbed his DNA. To this day, I try not to become him unless absolutely necessary" he continued, deactivating the watch. "Ghostfreak always creeped me out whenever I transformed into him, even before he escaped. But Big Chill... felt different. He was a... gift from a friend."

Inner Moka couldn't help but feel both sorry for Ben, and have a new level of respect for him. He could have used this 'Ghostfreak' transformation to easily nullify most of the threats they've encountered last year in Yokai: Saizou, Amalgam, Gin (she'd actually LOVE to see that, it sounded entertaining), Kotsubo... heck, even a monster like Kuyo probably could've have been dealt with if he used Ghostfreak. But he didn't due to thinking of others should he loose control of said alien if it was as evil as Ben described it to be.

Despite he was still technically a human, he had a large sense of justice and responsibility, as well as an insanely high mental capacity to recover from such a traumatic-sounding event... at least, a little; as the experience still clearly effects him. It kinda reminded her of her own trauma...

"These guys. They're... a part of me, ya know? Been on so many adventures together, we're almost like a family. What if I lose another hero, or I lose myself to it this time? I don't... think I can do it again" Said Ben, getting a bit emotional. He was basically saying that he wasn't sure if he'd be able to destroy another hero. Like he said; they were apart of him. Big Chill was a welcome member to the roster and, unlike Ghostfreak, Ben never felt weird whenever he used the Necrofriggian.

Moka and Kurumu weren't jealous at his indirect mention of Mizore this time due to the seriousness of the situation... and just imagine how Mizore would take it if he no longer had Big Chill in the watch. The poor Yuki-Onna would be devastated! That alien was a symbol of their friendship! Moka didn't know how'd she feel if the vampire transformation was destroyed, but she might feel upset since his power DID help Ben defeat Kuyo, so that bonded them together in a way.

Once again, the girls couldn't exactly relate except Moka, as she had an alter ego herself... though Ben had about 30 of them; plus the other one million he hadn't unlocked yet. The fact that he gave each an individual name only made his bond with them stronger. The girls also found new admiration for Ben, as although he had incredible power that he could control for 10 minutes... he apparently had to ALSO control whichever alien he becomes if it had a malicious nature.

"We can get Kevin and Gwen, they could help" said Julie, feeling sorry for Ben and wanting to help him, but this seemed beyond her realm of experience with aliens.

"No, they're gonna be busy at the dance... and Grandpa Max is..." said Ben, looking out at the moon before continuing. "This time, I'm on my own."

That's when he felt a hand on his arm, which he turned to look and saw Julie looking right at him. "You got me" she said.

Moka then hugged his other arm. "Me too."

Then Kurumu hugged him from behind, not trying to press her chest into his back as this clearly wasn't the time for that. "We'll figure this out, Ben. We got your back."

Ben smiled warmly. Even if they couldn't help, at least they gave him reassurance.

BEEP, BEEP, BOOP!

The sudden noise caused the 4 friends to look down... the Omnitrix turned itself on and was scrolling in the opposite direction!

"Ben? What's happening?" Asked Moka, nervously. Ben tried deactivating it, and when that didn't work, he tried dialing it; but it wasn't responding to any of his commands!

"I-It's not working!" Ben exclaimed, then spoke inside his own head. _'YO! CUT IT OUT!'_ He yelled to the vampire Ben.

 **"It's not me! I SWEAR!"** Vampire Ben insisted, sounding genuinely surprised as well. The icon landed on Big Chill, and Ben managed to look up at his friends with fear in his eyes. "GET BACK!" He said, pushing them back and backing away before...

FLASH!

Big Chill had appeared and without a word, he took to the sky. "BEN! COME BACK!" Called Kurumu, taking her real form and following the alien. Big Chill just turned his head back and blew a cold breeze. Not wanting to get frozen again, she flapped her wings to push herself back from the vapors. Big Chill used this opportunity to speed up.

Watching from below, Julie got a confident look on her face and ran to her scooter. "GET ON!" She called to Moka, who got the message and quickly ran over to hop on. Reeving the motor, Julie took off after the 2 aerial combatants.

-TIME BREAK-

Kevin was driving Gwen to the dance after he went to pick her up. She had to admit, she liked the way Kevin looked in his tuxedo. Likewise, Kevin thought Gwen looked amazing in her long white dress. He was still a bit nervous, as this could be considered his and her first date, but tried to hide it. Who've thought that them 2 would end up going to a dance together? Especially after he tried killing her cousin 3 times; the fourth time teaming up with an intergalactic conqueror.

"Yellow roses... how'd you know?" Asked Gwen, holding the bouquet Kevin had bought for her, and she was surprised since she never mentioned these were her favorite. Another surprise was the beautiful blue corsage he got her.

"I could be a sensitive guy" Kevin bragged.

"Really?" Asked Gwen, perking up a bit.

"That... and Ben told me, but he was cool about it. Gave me some pretty good advice" said Kevin.

"Good advice?... Then again, he had a monster musume chasing him for about a year" joked Gwen.

"Speaking of them, they're not so bad after all. They suggested I get you that corsage. I owe them one" said Kevin. While he couldn't deny they girls (the vampires inner persona especially) were insanely hot, he mostly thought of them as access baggage they now had to deal with while fighting the DNAliens. But hey, if they got him points for this 'date' with Gwen; they were good for something.

"You'd better thank them, then" said Gwen.

"Sure... I'll take them to the next dance" Kevin joked.

"Not if I kill you first" Gwen shot back with a smile.

"If you do, at least let me thank pickle-boy beforehand" said Kevin, joking about Ben's fascination with pickles, which he assumed Gwen knew about. Her answer was to cock an eyebrow in confusion, but still held her smile.

"Pickle-boy?" She asked.

"Yeah. I always thought he just liked the color green, but he ate 3 whole jars... including the juice" said Kevin, and this caused Gwen to frown a bit.

"Ben? Pickles?" She asked, unsure if she heard right. As Kevin pulled into Gwen's prep school, Gwen muttered to herself about how Julie said Ben was acting strange.

"He also ordered in a giant mushroom pizza for himself. Gotta hand it to Ben, he also ties good ties" said Kevin, looking down at the bow tie he wore.

NOW Gwen was becoming concerned. "Ben? Pickles? Mushrooms?... And ties?" The Anodite questioned.

"Nothing wrong with 2 dudes tying the knot over veggies and pizza" joked the Osmosian, getting out of the car and running over to Gwen's side to open the door for her. Once he opened the door like a gentleman however, she had a frown on her face with the roses on the side of her and her arms were now folded.

"We're not going in there" Gwen stated.

"Why not? I learned everything about waltzing and forks! Inside to outside, big to little... or was it outside to inside, little to big? Dammit!" Groaned Kevin, trying to remember what the videos taught him.

"That's... not the problem Kevin. I..." said Gwen, about to explain what was bothering her, but that's also when Kevin cut her off.

"Its me, isn't it?" Said Kevin.

"NO, KEVIN! I-I WANT to go with you; it's just..." Gwen tried explaining again.

"It's just what? Embarrassing for you to go with some street rat like me?" Kevin said. He was not only nervous, but now also upset since the girl who asked him out apparently didn't want to go anymore.

"KEVIN! Ben hates pickles... especially mushrooms!" Said Gwen, as Ben and her had a bad experience with mushrooms once before over that particular summer vacation. It was also at this point Kevin remembered Moka and Kurumu muttered the same thing, but what did that have to do with this?

"Ok, so he acquired a taste for them then, that..." Kevin began.

"And he _DESPISES_ ties!" Gwen cut off Kevin.

"... but I saw the wedding pictures of..." said Kevin, as he saw Ben wearing a tux himself with a similar bow tie Kevin was wearing now. Ben said it was from a marriage for his 26-year-old cousin, and it was a sticky situation he got himself into that day... something about 'sludgepuppies'.

"That's only cause Grandpa forced him to wear it!" Said Gwen.

"What about his Yokai Aca..." Kevin asked, as he also had seen Ben's Yokai Academy uniform in that closet, which also came with a tie.

"He's required to by dress code! Julie was saying something about the Omnitrix acting up, I think Ben might be in some kind of trouble!" Said Gwen.

"Aside from him juggling 2 girls and a girlfriend?" Asked Kevin.

BRIIIIIIIIING! BRIIIIIIIIING!

Gwen phone began ringing from inside her purse, and the caller ID was Julie. "Hello?" Asked Gwen, taking out the phone and putting it to her ear, listening to what Julie told her. "Hang on, can you repeat that?" Asked Gwen (although she already heard it), putting the phone on speaker and turning it to face Kevin as if Gwen was saying 'told you so'.

"Big Chill's gone crazy!" Said Julie's voice.

Taking the phone off of speaker, Gwen put it back to her ear. "Where are you?"

The scene changes to Julie and Moka riding quickly down the street after Big Chill. Kurumu was even using her illusion magic to try and bind the Necrofriggian, and it was aggravating her that the ghost-like mothman kept phasing in and out of her traps. "We're on Big Chills tail right now. He just ate about half the foundry and drank a whole cauldron of molten metal; he even froze all the guards and is now flying off somewhere" said Julie.

As she was conversing with Gwen, Kurumu was still flying after Big Chill. "Ben!... Or Big Chill, or vampire asshole; let Ben go!" Called Kurumu. Big Chill only answer to that was blowing a cold breeze, which Kurumu avoided.

 **"IT'S NOT _ME_!"** Yelled Vampire Ben, not that anyone could hear him.

"Leave me alone!" Said the Necrofriggian, taking off in a burst of speed, which Kurumu matched.

"Hold this" said Julie, handing her phone to Moka so she could focus on driving as she sped up her own method of transportation.

"I hate to ask but, can you and Kevin please help? I'm worried about Ben" said Moka. As Big Chill flew, he happened to look behind him to see Kurumu had caught up, and was literally a whisker away from slicing him. The alien had to move aside to avoid becoming ribbons.

"Don't make me do this, Ben!" Said Kurumu. She didn't want to resort to physically harming her Mate of Fate, be she was seeing little choice. Big Chill went to phase through her to try and freeze her, but she saw this coming and evaded.

Using her illusion magic again, she manipulated 2 streetlamps ahead of Big Chill to pound them into each other, making sparks fly. Much to her surprise, even though he was intangible, she still managed to stop him. Moka and Julie (who skidded her scooter to a halt) were also surprised.

"Um... I think Kurumu got him" said Moka. Perhaps electricity was a weakness to Necrofriggians', though she wasn't 100% sure. All she knew was that Kurumu had finally stopped...

SHATTER!

The lamps froze over and out flew Big Chill, although he did look somewhat drained of energy. "Stay... away" he managed to get out. He was about to blow another breeze at the succubus who dared strike him, but that's when he noticed Julie and Moka on the scooter. Canceling his original plan of attack, he swooped towards to two girls on the ground.

"CRAP!" Said Julie, revving her engine and just barely avoided Big Chill, who had just turned the section of the road she was on into ice. This shocked them even more. Ben would NEVER attack them, so Big Chill was clearly acting on its own accord.

Sadly, they lost Big Chill in the confusion. "Nevermind... we lost him" Moka said to the phone.

"Great! Now what so we do?" Kurumu asked as she flew down to float beside Julie's scooter.

"We'll handle it then" said Gwen.

"I got a lock on Ben's Omnitrix. He's heading outside of town... going west of Register Road" said Kevin, presenting his Plumber Badge to quickly locate were Ben/Big Chill was going.

"Good. See ya there" said Julie, overhearing what Kevin said and getting a determined look on her face.

"Wait, Julie... AAAH!" Said Moka, almost dropping Julie's phone due to Julie racing off.

"WHOA!... WAIT UP, DAMMIT!" Said Kurumu, almost getting run over by Julie. Regardless, she flapped her wings and followed behind the human. Both monsters' had to admit, if Julie had one thing in common with Ben, it's that she'll never abandon someone she deems in need.

"I guess... we'll met you there" said Moka to Gwen.

"Fine... make sure Julie's safe though" said Gwen, hanging up her phone. Although she knew Moka couldn't do much with that Rosario around her neck, she was still slightly stronger than a normal human. Plus, Kurumu was with them, so it should balance out the odds.

-TIME BREAK-

Kevin's car pulled up to the spot where his Plumber Badge was telling him Ben/Big Chill was. Julie, Moka and Kurumu (who was landing and changed back into her human form) were already there; staring at a ditch just ahead. It had a metal tower-like structure sticking out from the top, but as for what it was they had no answer.

"He's here?" Asked Gwen.

"He is. He just spit out all that magma, then cooled it all around that metal tower" said Kurumu, as she had just witnessed it by getting a succubus-eye view.

"It's melted metal" corrected Moka.

"Hot metal, hot magma, same shit" said Kurumu, not really caring if what she said wasn't exactly correct.

"And Big Chills doing this, why?" Asked Kevin.

"Maybe these ghost aliens are just plain evil. We had a similar problem with Ghostfreak" said Gwen.

"Uck, hated that guy, even though I only became him once" said Kevin.

"Yeah, then you absorbed ALL 10 of them" added Kurumu.

"... I was a messed up kid" said Kevin.

"Maybe there's a connection between Big Chill and Ghostfreak? They're both ghosts" suggested Julie.

"Maybe... but Big Chill was obtained from a monster" said Gwen, which surprised Julie. "Yeah, he was the sample of our friend, Mizore. She's a Yuki-Onna, a Snow Woman" said Moka.

"Look, whatever's wrong with him or Big Chill, we'll save him" said Kevin, walking over towards the ditch. Everyone else followed him.

The ditch wasn't that deep, only about 5-6 feet, but it WAS very wide. Big Chill himself was resting on top of the metal tower which, now that the group was closer, resembled a giant mound.

The group slid down the ditch. "BEN!" Called Gwen, which woke Big Chill up. The Necrofriggian stood up, looking down at the intruders menacingly.

"It's ok, Ben... it's us" said Julie, her hands up in defense.

"Ben... or Big Chill... we only want to help you" said Moka, kindly.

This however, only got Big Chill to unfurl his wings, which raised the tension. "Go... away..." he warned with a hiss.

"Sweetie... whatever's wrong, we just want to support you" said Kurumu.

Big Chill response to that was taking a huge breath in, and blowing a cold breeze. However, this appeared to be a warning shot as it froze a rock in-between the girls' feet... which shattered instantly a second later. "Last... warning..." Big Chill warned again, and his tone told them he was NOT willing to give them a second one.

"Negotiating's not working, I'll smash sense into him instead" said Kevin, kneeling down to absorb a small metal block Big Chill must've forgot to use or had no use for. Then he took off running up the metal mound.

 **"He really IS an idiot"** said Inner Moka.

Kevin swung at Big Chill, and it didn't work since he went intangible. Grabbing the arm Kevin had used, Big Chill then took a big bite out of Kevin's arm! This got the girls to gasp, not having seen Ben/Big Chill act so feral before.

Luckily for Kevin, the metal protected him from Big Chills sharp teeth, so there was no blood rushing down his arm; but that didn't stop the Necrofriggian from gliding and slamming Kevin on the ground, in which he proceeded to continue gnawing on Kevin's limb. Absorbing stone, Kevin replaced his armor. Big Chill didn't like the taste of dirt, so he finally let go and began gagging. Kevin noticed a tear in his tux's right arm.

"DUDE! This's Max's tux, remember?" Said Kevin.

Before Big Chill could answer (or if he was gonna answer was unknown), a ray of mana with a claw on the end shot past him and headed for the mound. With surprising speed and agility, Big Chill lifted the mana-claw with both hands and then blew a large gust of cold air at Gwen, whom launched the manna-claw in the first place.

Gwen could already tell that gust was much more powerful than a normal one, just like the one that shattered the rock; so she had to dispel her mana-claw and use both hands to make a barrier around herself, Julie, Moka and... where did Kurumu go? Whatever that metal mound was must be important to Big Chill, as he was fighting allot harder than Ben would've made him if he was in control.

"Big Chill! We just want to help!" Called Julie. Her sentence had caused Big Chill to stop blowing cold air. "Help?..." He asked, going behind the metal mound.

CRACK!

"I don't WANT any!" Roared Big Chill, having returned with a giant piece of metal above his head, being held by both hands. He threw it right at the girls, apparently not caring if they got crushed by it.

" _Lata Avidimona Lata_!" Said Gwen, using a spell at the incoming metal ball. Once casted, the spell dismantled it completely, saving the caster and the others. Doing this made a cloud of dust and debris since bits of metal fell at once, which Big Chill used as cover to swoop down and go for Julie and Moka!

Gwen quickly put the crazed Necrofriggian in a mana bubble, where he stared hissing like a rabid animal and clawed at the bubble imprisoning him, also snapping his jaws for good measure. Big Chills persistence began to pay off, as Gwen was starting to struggle keeping the bubble up. "NRGH!... Get back, I can't hold him!" Said Gwen, and that's actually when one of Big Chills clawed hands broke free and grabbed Julies arm!

"BEN! STOP!" Cried Julie. While the grip from the alien wasn't enough to break the poor girls bones, it still felt like her arm was getting violently squeezed by a sphygmomanometer. That's not even mentioning the savage look in Big Chills eyes... it frightened her.

Gwen couldn't help her, as she needed to keep the barrier up or Big Chill might do something worse... and where the fuck did Kurumu go?! That left only Moka. She couldn't do anything with the Rosario on and... she had an idea. It was reckless, like Ben could be once in a while, but she was the only one who could do anything! Despite her own fear at seeing Big Chills savageness, she put on a brave face and grabbed the same arm Big Chill was squeezing Julie with.

"LET GO OF ME!" Roared Big Chill, his other arm shooting out of the mana bubble, just as Moka planned it would.

"Moka, what are you...?" Asked Gwen, but she didn't get to ask the full question. All she saw was Moka quickly grabbing Big Chills other arm, and pulled it towards...

PING!

Gwen's eyes widened. Big Chill's also widened, apparently knowing. Julie's widened as well... Moka's Rosario...

...

...

FLASH!

A column of dark energy shot out of Moka into the night sky; causing Gwen, Julie and Big Chill to get knocked by the sheer force of it! Kevin, who had just started recovering; turned towards the girls location, and his Osmosian instincts began to kick in once again upon feeling the intense energy; but repressed them just like last time. Gwen, Kevin, and Big Chill knew what was coming now; as bats from up above began to swarm around Moka's body.

( **AN:** Inner Moka's theme.)

 _When the rosary seal over her breast is removed, Moka's innocent self vanishes, and her inner vampire... awakens._ Julie thought she'd seen everything. Gwen's magic, Kevin's powers, Ben's aliens, and even Kurumu's monster form and abilities... but this?... She was completely unprepared for what she was seeing. Sure it was a little creepy Kurumu had bat wings and a tail poking out of her skirt... THIS; was a WHOLE 'nother level. So this what a vampire... a REAL vampire... looked like.

The vampire... who saved her boyfriends life.

Guess this is what Moka meant by 'inner'... though Julie felt a little self-conscious now. Why, you ask? Well before, Moka was only a cup larger than her... NOW her size was maybe a little smaller than Kurumu's! To top it off, the shape of her ass clearly changed; as her skirt now BARELY left anything to the imagination!

 **"... Ben. I'm willing let slide you swiping at me... this time. So why don't you be a good boy, and step aside from your arts & crafts project?"** Said Inner Moka, her voice made a chill go up Julie's spine. Moka's tone DEMANDED respect from the very first syllable! What was confusing to her was, Moka was sweet and kind but now; she seemed cold and distant. Maybe this is what Ben meant about her rosary; all that power was stored inside her and it was making her different than how she was before?

Julie had no answer. As cool as it was to finally see Moka's monster form, it was also very unsettling.

While everyone else was busy getting acquainted (reacquainted in Gwen, Kevin's and Big Chill's case) with Inner Moka, Kurumu was shown to have snuck off to the side of the mound. "Alright... lets see what your hiding" she whispered to herself, slowly extending her nails. As she stepped slowly towards the mound, she accidentally kicked a tiny rock, making a small sound... which also caused a now-recovered Big Chill to sharply turn his neck to the source of the sound, and saw Kurumu in mid-step with her claws out. She was looking at him with a face that said: "shit, caught."

"STAY AWAY!" Big Chill hissed, lunging over to the succubus. Before he got in range of her however, a blur shot into him and knocked him aside. It was shown to be Inner Moka, who had used her newly unsealed speed to kick Big Chill away. Gwen saw this, but could tell Inner Moka was holding back. She saw her kick Ruby and Albedo... those were REAL kicks! That one wasn't even a _fraction_ of her full power.

Then again, this still was Ben in a way. Even though she denies it, she does seem to care for Ben's well-being... or maybe its because since Ben's the only one who can remove her Rosario for some reason.

Big Chill got up pretty fast though, and blew a gust at Inner Moka and Kurumu. Inner Moka sidestepped from it with no trouble, and Kurumu evaded with a single flap of her wings that she brought out. **"Maybe Kevin's right, you DO need to be knocked out"** said Inner Moka, rushing forward to kick Big Chill, this time using a little more monster energy. The kick never made contact as Big Chill sunk into the ground, and popped up behind Moka to try freezing her again.

Sensing him, she pulled a roundhouse kick before he could blow any ice, but it didn't make contact either since he went intangible and grabbed her leg like Kevin beforehand. Instead of biting into it, he threw her aside, though Inner Moka used the momentum and twisted her body to land on her feet like a cat would. Kurumu used her illusion magic on the metal mound, hoping there was something she could manipulate. Sure enough, some wires from all the metal Big Chill ate extended out from it and wrapped around Big Chill.

He blew once, attempting to make Kurumu lose focus and while the grip did loosen, she still held on to the magic... though her eyes showed fatigue. Kurumu was expending too much of her monster energy on this ability she was still learning to control. If she kept this up for much longer, she was gonna pass out again.

Julie was watching Big Chill carefully as he struggled to free himself. Whatever that metal thing was, it was undoubtedly crucial to whatever Big Chill was planning. Without thinking, she took off in a sprint towards it. Big Chill noticed what she was doing.

"NO! GET AWAY FROM THERE!" He shouted, his voice also cracking with worry, and going intangible for yet the 3rd time this battle and escaping. Kurumu wanted to manipulate the cords further, but she was just about empty.

Inner Moka looked to where Big Chill was... the hell? What was Princess Tennis doing?! She's gonna get herself killed!

Big Chill flew above Julie but before he could do anything, 4 tentacles of mana wrapped tightly around him, stopping him momentarily. "Nrgh... Moka! NOW!" Called Gwen, as she was also running on empty as she had to protect 2 others aside from herself with her magic, AND fight at the same time.

 **"Sorry about this Ben..."** said Inner Moka, jumping high above Big Chill. "Huh?" Went Big Chill. Looking up, he saw Inner Moka's leg coming down... **"But Big Chill must learn his PLACE!"**

POW! BOOM!

In the fraction of a second; Big Chill zoomed downward and bounced off the ground once, and slid while face-down with a cloud of dust surrounding him. Once again, Gwen and Kevin could tell that she wasn't going all out... it still looked painful, that's for sure; but still nowhere near her full power. If they had to gauge it, they'd say Inner Moka just used about 10% of her overall strength, then it jumped up to 30% for her final blow to knock Ben out. Besides, she was trying to subdue him, not kill him.

Not to mention, Big Chill was fighting 2 Plumbers' and 2 monsters' at once... and put up a helluva fight despite those odds, so the Necrofriggian must have been tired himself.

Inner Moka landed from her finishing move, making Julie's mouth hang open. That was some crazy fighting skills Moka had just pulled off, and that power was both amazing and pretty scary. Now that Big Chill was out for a minute, Inner Moka thought about how hard he had fought. She'd never admit it, but alien resilience surprised her once again. But nevermind that now, she had a bone to pick with _her_.

"You hurt him!" Said Julie.

 **"Just as he would have you. The hell were you thinking, Princess? Ben wasn't in control of Big Chill, and he could've froze you to death if Gwen didn't give me an opening"** Inner Moka said to Julie, controlling the urge to lash out at her from being an idiot and just rushing like Kevin did moments ago; but that didn't stop the unsealed vampire from calling Julie a name.

"Um, excuse me? Ben NEVER would've hurt me!" Julie said, unsure if she heard Moka correctly. That outburst sounded very rude, which was unlike her.

 **"So I'm just imagining that bruise on your arm?"** Inner Moka asked, sarcastically. Sure enough, there WAS a bruise where Big Chill grabbed Julie, which the tennis player covered with her shelve.

"Moka... Julie was just trying to help, I would've protected her anyway" said Gwen, defending Julie.

 **"And what if you missed? Or Big Chill managed to destroy your barrier? You could barely keep him at bay, so what would stop Big Chill from tearing a human like her to shreds... her hand-eye coordination?"** Inner Moka asked. That shut Gwen up. She hated to admit it, but despite Inner Moka's bluntness... the vampire wasn't wrong.

" _*scoffs*_ A human like me? I was trying figuring out why this thing was so important!" Julie defended herself while gesturing to the mound; more harshly than she intended, but this was a stressful night for a multitude of reasons. Furthermore, what had gotten into Moka all of a sudden? It's like she was a different person or something...

 **"You were brave, I'll give you that. But you still have no defense or any power of your own. Unless you can find a way to be useful, leave the work to the professionals"** said Inner Moka. Gwen and Julie (more-so Julie) were taken aback once again by Inner Moka's vulgarity. Julie couldn't figure this out, why was Moka being such a bitch right now?

"Useful? Professional? Your the one who kicked Ben into the ground!" Argued Julie, still stressed and a little upset by Moka's attitude.

 **"Zombie clowns, life-sucking goldfish, a psychotic fox demon, AND a galactic overlord... trust me, he's been through worse"** said Inner Moka, putting up one finger for each named incident Ben had gone through. Honestly, why would Ben date this chick anyway? She was so whiny! If Ben had chose her or the other Moka, they'd be a much better... where did that thought come from?

"If your both done bickering, Big Chills not gonna stay down for long" said Kevin, walking over.

"Whatever's wrong with him has to be because of that thing!" Said Gwen, pointing to the metal mound.

"Then why not take a peak inside?" Asked Kurumu, now over her fatigue. She could still fight if needed, but there'll be no more illusion-making tonight.

"My thoughts exactly" said Kevin, absorbing a metal pipe that was sticking out of the ground. He and Kurumu got to the top of the mound where Big Chill was standing before. Kurumu sliced the top of it and Kevin bashed it with both hands...

SQUIRT!

As soon as Kurumu and Kevin damaged the mound, some kind of liquid sprayed out of it. "EWWWWWWW!" The succubus whined, raising her hands in defense as the liquid sprayed on her vest a bit. Kevin however, was completely soaked. "UGH! Now I got maggot goo all over my tux!" Said Kevin; as Inner Moka, Julie and Gwen went to see what he and Kurumu were complaining about.

In the spot Kevin bashed, the goo was starting to bubble a little... then a little more... then SEVERELY more. One of the bubbles hardened and turned into a floating blue ball of some kind, then another... and another. One actually floating in front of Julie, which she tapped out of curiosity but nothing happened. One also went in front of Kurumu, which she tried popping with a nail, but it didn't work. 9 more balls starting popping out of the metal mound one-by-one until they surrounded the group, making the told number of balls 13.

One of them started vibrating... what was happening?!

...

...

...

...

...

"Skreee."

From the floating ball, a small creature resembling a tiny version of Big Chill emerged. Looking back and forth between the members of the group, the little guy seemed curious and just landed on Julie's head. "AWWWWWWW!" Went Gwen, Kurumu and Julie; finding the little creature adorable. Inner Moka and Kevin however; deadpanned.

 **Inner Moka** : **... babies?**

 **Kevin** : You have gotta be kidding.

Now the group figured out what this mound was: it was a giant 2-in-1 nest and incubator, which explained all the metal Big Chill was eating in the first place. It was also at this point the other 12 bubbles began to "hatch" and floated around the group. They were just as curious as the first one, buzzing around to get a good look at the 5 unknown beings that woke them up. One even blew a very tiny breeze on Kurumu's cheek, almost like a kiss.

"H-HEY! STOP! That tickles!" Kurumu said in-between a few giggles while playfully shooing it away as still tried 'kissing' her. It eventually stopped, as Kurumu then realized something. "WAIT A SECOND! So Big Chill was...?"

She didn't get to finish her question as they all heard the alien in question moan and begin to rise. The Baby Chill on Julie hopped off her head, and flew towards the sound, seeing a creature similar to itself. This also caught the attention of the other Baby Chills, as they followed the first one to see its actual parent. Big Chill fully recovered, and was greeted by the sight of 13 little Baby Chills floating around him. They were chirping and purring at him, then they all began to fly off into the night sky.

One tiny pop was heard by Julies feet, and a VERY small Baby Chill had hatched... though it appeared to struggle with flying. After a few attempts, and falling to the ground each tome, it appeared to give in with a sad purr. "Here, like this" said Kurumu, flapping her own wings as quickly as she could to demonstrate flying. Seeing the example, the Baby Chill tried again, but it still wasn't working so well. It got some airtime, but not a whole lot.

In a surprise twist, Inner Moka was the one to pick it up gently with both hands. Wow, this Baby Chill was much smaller than the others, it practically fit in her palms perfectly! Even she had to admit, it was pretty cute. **"Maybe you just needed a little boost"** she said, quickly 'pulling the rug' from under the Baby Chill. She gave it a gentle toss up, but didn't attempt to try catch it. The little alien was scared, so it flapped wildly; but this appeared to have worked. Getting its bearings by learning to control its direction of flight after a experimenting a bit, the smallest Baby Chill managed to stabilize itself and fly at Big Chill.

It looked up at its flying brethren as they vanishing in the darkness above, then to Big Chill, and towards the group that helped it on the mound; appearing to be conflicted on either staying with Big Chill and the others or joining the rest of its siblings. Big Chill held its hands underneath and said: "Go... fly..." as it lifted the baby up. It still appeared conflicted, but began to soar above. In doing so, it noticed something shining on the ground. Floating down, it picked the object up and looked around before heading back up to the top of the mound.

It was shown to be holding Moka's Rosario. It looked back and forth, and noticed the choker around Moka's neck. This Baby Chill appeared to be highly intelligent, and it flew closer to the scary yet beautiful vampire, presenting the item in question. Inner Moka was caught completely off guard and couldn't hide it. **"Um... thanks"** she said, recovering from her surprise and gently and slowly taking her jewelry from the little critter. Giving the group a chirp and a backflip, the Baby Chill then arose into the sky, joining its fellow brothers and sisters as the flew out of sight.

Big Chill watched as its offspring disappeared, then looked at the group on the mound. "... thank you" was all Big Chill said before raising its hand to the Omnitrix faceplate, and pressed down.

FLASH!

Ben had now returned, his eyes opening. Blinking a few times, he looked around. "... W-What just...?"

Kurumu was on him in an instant before he could ask his question, nails right under his neck and chin. "ALRIGHT, WHO THE FUCK DID YOU FUCK?!" She demanded. Even though the scene was heartwarming, that didn't mean she didn't have a question or two.

 **"Aw great, here we go..."** commented Ben's inner vampire.

"W-W-W-WHAT? W-W-WHAT ARE YA TALKING ABOUT?!" Ben questioned, not sure what was going on.

"It was Mizore, wasn't it! Was it after the kraken? Kuyo? Your _last day_ on campus?!" Yelled Kurumu, getting a bit closer to Ben's face with each incrimination she said.

POW! SPLAT!

"EWWWWWW!" Whined Kurumu, after getting kicked away by Inner Moka into the metal mound... which still had some maggot juice in it.

 **"Ben... PLEASE tell me you know what just happened"** said Inner Moka.

"All I know is I'm in a ditch... again! And the last thing I remember was pushing you guys away when Big Chill took over, NOW Kurumu's accusing me of sleeping with Mizore! What the heck is going on!" Asked Ben, extremely confused.

Julie took out her notebook... but then tossed it behind her, not bothering to flip through the pages. "You might wanna sit down for this."

-TIME BREAK-

"I WAS WHAT?!" Screamed Ben, sitting on a rock, unable to believe what he just heard.

"Apparently, Big Chill was pregnant" said Gwen.

"Yup... and these are your kids" said Kevin in a funny tone, pulling up a database the Plumbers use, which also had satellite imaging/recording so Ben actually saw EVERYTHING that had unfolded these last few minutes. Sure enough, it showed the baby Necrofriggians' popping out of the metal mound when Kevin and Kurumu busted it open.

"HOW?!" Asked Ben.

"Yeah, I thought the watch only copies DNA" said Kurumu, now calmed down a bit.

"It does... ALL of it" said Kevin, which was all that needed to be said. Since Big Chill was possibly pregnant at the time of being added to the Omnitrix, it also copied the samples of the baby Necrofriggans' within the mothers womb.

"So then..." said Julie.

 **"Big Chills a girl?"** Asked Inner Moka, finishing the question.

"Says here they're asexual, and only reproduce every 80 or so Kylmyys years, that's Big Chills home planet by the way. They store metal in their bodies and use it to create nests; and their hormones during the birthing process also make then stronger, more alert... and a bit temperamental" said Kevin, reading the data.

Kurumu, Julie and even Inner Moka (though she held her emotions on the matter) found this fascinating. They thought Ben saying he can _walk in another life forms shoes_ was only transforming into them and taking on their personalities... but apparently, that ALSO included their anatomies. This also explained why Big Chill appeared to be stronger, as its biology made it so and it was only doing this for the miracle of life, protecting its young just like any good mother would. Besides, it's not everyday one gets a firsthand experience about reproduction from another species... especially an alien.

"Phew... so Ben's innocence wasn't tainted" said Kurumu, relieved.

 **"Kurumu... even if that was true, how would that work?"** Inner Moka growled, as what the succubus just said sounded incredibly stupid.

"... OOOOOOOOOOOH!" Said Kurumu, realizing she let her feelings get ahead of her, giving a nervous laugh. Ben didn't have the same plumbing, so he COULDN'T have gotten pregnant anyway. Inner Moka groaned at Kurumu's airheaded response.

 **"And they call Kevin the idiot..."** commented Vampire Ben.

"But how does Big Chill get the metal out of...?" Asked Kurumu, but it appeared she answered her own question by her curious look being replaced by a grossed-out one. Inner Moka, Gwen and Julie also appeared to figure this out... Inner Moka frowned, and Julie and Gwen had disgusted looks on their faces. Kevin saw this and was tempted to tell them what ACTUALLY happens... but just smiled to himself, allowing the girls' imaginations to run wild.

"But; he got it from your friend Mizore, right? Was she...?" Julie asked, and got a 'no' from both monsters'.

"So... why did Mizore give you a fertile alien?" Asked Gwen.

"Good question, maybe Azmuth knows" suggested Ben. They'll have to find a way to contact him for more information.

 **"So, will this be a recurring thing?"** Asked Inner Moka, wanting to be prepared should this ever happen again. She could only begin to imagine what Yokai Academy would have to go through... though it sounded like something Mizore could get behind.

Kevin looked down at the database again just before answering. "Unless Ben lives another 100 years, its highly unlikely. As for the kids, they'll travel in a pack and feed on solar plasma from suns they pass by" Kevin answered Inner Moka while reading the data, then looked down at Ben. "Don't feel bad you'll never see them again... mommy" he joked.

"Cut it out!" Ben yelled at Kevin.

"Should've figured it out from your pickle and mushroom cravings" said Kevin, folding his arms with a sly smile on his face.

"Or from Ben tying ties and giving good advice on girls" Gwen joked.

"Hey, I can give good advice! I dated 5 times back in Japan!" Ben stated, standing up and pointing at himself with his thumb.

"Dated..." said Kurumu with a smile. **"That's the word"** said Inner Moka, also smiling. Both monsters had turned Ben's words against him. Ben was unamused, though the laughter from the other presence in his mind was.

"You want a ride home? My curfew's in a half hour" said Julie, offering Ben a ride. The green teen accepted, having enough Hero Time for a while. As Julie rode off, Kurumu flew after them, and Inner Moka just followed with her vampiric speed.

"Atta girl, Julie. He must be exhausted" joked Kurumu.

"Quit it!" Said Ben.

 **"Don't be ashamed, you make a great mommy"** Inner Moka smirked.

"JUST KNOCK IT OFF!" Yelled Ben.

Gwen and Kevin stayed behind. "Great... and we missed the dance" Gwen said sadly, but perked up when she heard melody coming Kevin's car radio. She looked at Kevin, whom was holding out his hand. Without another word, she took it, and they danced together in that ditch under the moonlight... just the two of them.

-TIME BREAK-

Back in the monster world, an hour or so after Big Chill gave birth and watched his babies go flying; Yukari and Ruby just finished scanning Japan's deserts' with a magic circle, though this one was for observation rather than teleportation. Unsurprisingly, it yielded no results. Mizore came back just as the witch duo canceled they're magic.

"Where've you been, snowflake?" Snapped Kokoa.

Strangely, the Snow Woman appeared to be antsy. "I um... was dealing with Gin, ya know. S-Class monster and all" she said with a hint of nervousness in her voice. "Hey Ruby, you have rechargeable batteries I can borrow?" Asked Mizore out of nowhere, making the 3 other girls raise their eyebrows.

"Why?" Asked the eldest witch.

"My um... A/C's dead" said Mizore, still sounding nervous. What was up with her?

"Did Gin do something...?" Yukari was about to ask, thinking Gin might have gone full perv and did something to Mizore.

"NO!" Mizore responded quickly. "I just need... some power until the headmaster can get a crew to fix it, that's all" said Mizore, which sounded a bit believable. She needed cold temperatures to feel comfortable and if the A/C itself was out of juice, she needed an alternative. Ruby went into a drawer, and pulled out a charger attached to a battery pack.

"Here. This should help" said Ruby, kindly.

"Thanks. I gotta go" said Mizore, leaving the room as soon as Ruby gave her the battery pack. Yukari asked where Mizore was going, but she appeared distracted and didn't hear her since the Yuki-Onna just closed the door behind her.

Back in Mizore's own room... it was still as cold as ever, meaning she had lied. But why? She plugged in the battery pack into her wall, and attached it to one of her lamps. "Here, boy" she called to seemingly no one.

...

...

Then a insect-like being phased into existence on Mizore's bed, flying over to Mizore. It was one of the Baby Chills, the smallest one! It flew next to the lamp, and its energy was sucked into the aliens mouth.

-FLASHBACK-

_What lunged at Mizore was none other than the small Baby Chill._

_"B-Ben?" Asked Mizore, getting a good look at the thing in her arms, but it had no Omnitrix symbol. Her eyes widened. This was a REAL alien! She then heard a growling sound coming from the alien in her arms, and that's when it flew up and next to a lamppost... where it feasted on the light itself in similar fashion as described above. At this point, also because she wanted practice being a mother for her's and Ben's future kids, she made the split decision to take care of it._

-END FLASHBACK-

After eating its fill, the Baby Chill landed in Mizore's arms again and Mizore gave it a hug, as it chirped and purred in happiness. Both 'mother' and child gave each other smiles as the 'mother' rubbed the child's head, and the Baby Chill breathed a cold breeze on Mizore's cheek with the Yuki-Onna giggling at the show of affection.


	8. Chapter 8

-FLASHBACK: 1950's-

_"Are you sure this... Time Machine, is gonna work? It's costing the U.S. government a pretty penny, Doctor" said a General behind a protective glass shield with 3 other scientists around him. He was watching as a professor and his Assistant were operating a doughnut-shaped machine. It looked similar to a Teleporter Pod that Reiny had._

_"It's not much of a machine or vehicle, per say. The Chronologger is rather a subatomic drill designed to open a tunnel in Space-Time" said the Doctor, keying in some codes. Once he was finished, he began walking towards the window the General was behind._

_"It'll also give our Red buddies overseas a thing or two to think about" said the General, putting on some protective goggles, as did the other 3 scientists._

_"But to answer your question, there's only one way to find out" said the Doctor, dawning his own protective headgear. He then pulled a lever on a console, causing the Chronologger to activate. It began making a swirl of energy, while the Doctor watched in admiration of his work._

_"Are you certain this is safe, Doctor? These goggles are all we need for protection?" Asked the Assistant, as wind began blowing all through the lab._

_"I'm not certain of anything, Hugo; but the chrono-magnetic field it generates should suffice" said the Doctor, unsure himself. This was a moment in history, the day Time Travel would become reality! So many tests, so many failures, so many 'back-to-the-drawing-board' moments... but the Doctor was confident this would work this time!_

_"Doctor... I'm, a little nervous!" Said Hugo, yelling over the loud hum of the Chronologger. The Doctor just lifted up a brown paper bag in response, not taking his eyes off his machine._

_"Have a gumball then, it'll calm your nerves" said the Doctor, also raising his voice over the loud humming._

_Something went wrong however, the gravitational pull was getting strong... too strong! The readings were going berserk! If that wasn't bad enough, some of the equipment was pulled into the Chronologger... though "pull" might not be the best word to describe it. They were stretched! The Doctor unfortunately was also sucked in, unable to brace himself._

_The General and other scientists couldn't do anything but watch... the last thing they saw, was a giant looming shadow over them... and a deep roar..._

-END FLASHBACK-

( **AN:** Theme song.)

**Chapter 4: A Time Paradox + Vampire**

"You both didn't have to come, we could've handled this ourselves" said Kevin, looking in his rear-view mirror as he drove on the outskirts of town, eyeing the 2 monsters that were adamant about joining Ben and the rest of them on another adventure. Ben was in-between both Kurumu and Moka in the backseat.

"Yeah, I'm not leaving him with a guy whose car gets destroyed every 5 seconds" said Kurumu, disregarding the fact she HAD wrecked the car once before.

"Besides, Ben just gave birth, he needs to save his strength" Moka joked.

"WILL YOU GUYS SHUT UP ABOUT THAT ALREADY?!" Yelled Ben. This was like the 2nd day in a row his friends brought that up, though a certain vampire in Ben's head found it funny and snickered everytime it was mentioned.

"I for one, appreciate the extra help. But Kevin's right, it's nothing we can't handle" said Gwen, she and Ben the only ones thankful for the helping hand the 2 monsters' have given them lately in the fight against the DNAliens. Kevin then parked the car and all occupants began to exit.

"Doesn't seem like nothing. Weird noises, strange lights, rumors of unearthly creatures running around out here?" Said Ben.

"Yeah, that's probably your 2 mistresses over there" said Kevin.

That made Kurumu scowl, then poke one of his cars tires by growing out her index fingernail as she walked past it. Moka saw this. "Kurumu!" She reprimanded in a whisper.

"What? I'm sure he's got spares in the trunk" whispered Kurumu.

"That's not the point, what if we need to leave in a hurry?" Moka whispered back.

"From what? Ben can take care of anything that comes our way" whispered Kurumu. Moka certainly couldn't deny that, but that still didn't mean Kurumu had the right to slash Kevin's tires.

"In all seriousness, the dudes I heard it from aren't... totally reliable" admitted Kevin, the group joining him at a large wall.

"Isn't this like, a Bad Boy thing to do? Sneak into a ghost town to drag race?" Gwen piped in.

"How should I know? I only know them from Auto Shop" said Kevin, confidently. The rest of the group eyed Kevin suspiciously, glanced at something, then looked right back at Kevin. "What?" He asked. His only answer was Kurumu raising a hand, and extended another nail from an index finger, pointing at something. Kevin looked. On the wall, in red paint, read: _Kevin Rules!_

The Osmosian just chuckled weakly.

"So... what is this place exactly? The Great Wall of Trump?" Asked Kurumu, as this wall they went up to was quite tall.

"It's an abandoned military base from the 50's. Los Soledad I think its name was. Grandpa Max said it was also a research facility" said Ben.

"Must've been pretty serious research. 50 years later, and no way in" said Kevin, looking up at the walls.

"Ben could just Fourarms Smash it down" suggested Kurumu.

"Let's not and say we did" said Ben, not a big fan of vandalism unless necessary.

"How about you phase through?" Suggested Moka.

"Probably not the best idea, he's still in remission" Gwen joked, making Ben glance at her. Will they ever let him live that down?

"We can take the succ-u-bus over it" Kevin joked himself, getting a glare from Kurumu. It also got Vampire Ben to chuckle some more, as they both made a similar joke. **"I love this man"** he said.

"You up for making an elevator?" Ben asked Gwen, figuring she could make a mana platform for them and it could lift them over the wall. It was then Moka's Rosario began glowing, and everyone shut up.

 **"Or you could use the convenient hole in the wall"** Said Inner Moka flatly, able to see through the Rosario eye.

"A hole?" Asked Moka.

"HEY! The only hole Ben's going through is MINE!" Stated Kurumu, thumb-pointing to herself. Both Gwen and Kevin stared, and Ben facepalmed himself softly, also shaking his head a bit. Ignoring Kurumu's outburst, Moka looked to the right. The left... something caught her eye, making everyone look in that direction. Sure enough, there were 2 large holes, one of which was big enough for a car.

" _Only know them from Auto Shop_ , huh?" Kurumu asked with her arms folded, getting in Kevin's face.

"D-Don't look at me, that wasn't there before. I swear!" Kevin insisted, leaning against the wall with his hands up in defense.

 **"Your one to talk Misses _Fourarms Smash_ "** commented Vampire Ben.

-TIME BREAK-

The base was pretty massive, so the group opted to take Kevin's car down the road inside. Once they got further inside, they stepped out of the car again.

"So... no one's gonna talk about how some holes in these buildings are person-shaped?" Asked Kurumu, which was true. Some shelters that soldiers of old had used had odd person-shaped holes in them, like when a cartoon character goes through a wall and leaves they're impression behind.

Ben noticed something on the ground, then gave his opinion on Kurumu's question. "Seems like something might've... I don't know, burned through the walls."

"Burned through? Like what?" Asked Kevin, doubtful of Ben's hypothesis.

"Probably the same thing that burned these weird trails everywhere" said Ben, gesturing to the trails that were directly in front of him. They weren't tire tracks, that's for sure, but they appeared to be cuts right through the grass and concrete as if it was torched by an afterburner.

Once everyone joined Ben where he was, "Um... Ben?" Said Moka, pointing a shaking finger to something in the dirt. It was a bird... or what _used_ to be a bird. It was a skeleton of one. This wasn't like creepy things in Yokai Academy, this was something _dead_.

"A bird... and lizard bones? Are these fossils?" Said Ben, examining the bones and trying to figure this all out. What were fossilized remains doing on the surface? What's more... they appeared to be _fresh_.

An old telephone booth was nearby, and it looked rundown to hell. Inside, were footprints, but not the kind you'd expect. "It's like whatever was standing here turned the slate into sand" said Gwen, observing the damage. The cord where the phone probably used to be was also sparking with electricity.

"He was probably on hold" said Kevin.

"The trail leads into that police station" said Kurumu, pointing in the trials direction. Ben put down the lizard remains and looked around where Kurumu was, with Moka following behind him for protection.

"And then goes into those... apartments, I guess?" Said Ben, making his best guess on what he was seeing.

"Ok, so to review: a dinosaur made a phone call a million years ago, then walked into a condo that was built 50 years ago?" Kevin said with heavy sarcasm.

 **"Why does Gwen like him again?"** Asked Inner Moka with equal sarcasm.

"Your not helping, Kevin! These could be signs of DNAlien activity and..." Ben started to argue, but that's when Moka spoke up again.

"Um, I don't think its aliens" she said, looking at something in the distance, her voice sounding scared.

"Why would you think...?" Ben began, but Moka cut him off again.

"Are DNAliens usually blue?" She said, pointing to something heading they're way!

What it appeared to be was a large blob with visible bones on the inside, also having sockets for eyes even though there were none. It had 2 long bones near its torso that looked to be arms, and 2 below that were obliviously legs. If its appearance wasn't creepy enough, it also made a weird humming sound. It moved around quickly as well, leaving afterimages of itself. As it moved towards the group, the grass withered and died, but they didn't notice that.

Kevin reached down and absorbed the sidewalk. "Finally, something worth all that gas."

Gwen took a battle stance, her hands flared up with mana. Kurumu took her own fighting stance; getting her wings, nails and tail out. Ben also turned on his Omnitrix but before he could choose something, Moka grabbed his hand and brought it to her Rosario. She didn't pull it down, just awaited Ben's approval. Figuring they might need Inner Moka's strength, he nodded and Moka pulled it down herself.

The group half-expected for this 'thing' to back away at Inner Moka's awakening, but it just kept coming toward them with no visible reaction, as if it was unaware of them. Once the vampire was released, she already figured this was her next challenge and prepared herself for a fight.

Ben continued what he was doing earlier. He scrolled through, seeing Vampire Ben's icon, but then changed his mind. Using him right now might not be the best idea, or in front of Gwen and Kevin either. Ben still had no idea what would happen if he chose the vampire. He's powerful sure, but Ben still had no recollection of what happened when he was unlocked during the... 'incident', nor knew if he could control him. It was kind of an Alien X situation...

 **"Aw, come on, dude! Seriously?"** Whined Vampire Ben, but Ben ignored him and chose: "DIAMONDHEAD!"

Oddly enough, the 'thing' zing-zanged around them; then "ran" up close to a building, scraping against it. By the time the group tried following it, the building began falling over!

 **Diamondhead** : Oh CRAP!

CRASH!

Thankfully, a wave-like formation of diamonds protected them from the collapsing building, but the group had now lost sight of whatever that 'thing' was. The only thing they saw was burned trails, the same ones Ben found before! "At least it didn't destroy the library" said Gwen.

"Your thinking of school at a time like this?!" Asked Kurumu.

"She really loves the books" said Kevin, dispelling his armor.

 **"She wants to** **RESEARCH** **, nimrods"** said Inner Moka with folded arms, already figuring what Gwen wanted to do.

"Exactly. If we wanna know more about that thing, we have to know what's been going on here... and why its here on the base" said Ben, who transformed back to himself and was thinking along the same lines as Gwen and Inner Moka.

-TIME BREAK-

The group ended up at the bases local library via Kevin's car, looking through a single computer in the back of the store. Kurumu was flipping through some books and folders on shelves, looking for something to catch her attention and when it didn't, she discarded it aside and went to the next one.

 **"Your not gonna find anything flipping through them like picture books"** Inner Moka commented.

"Well I don't see YOU doing anything either! Why not go back in your rosary till we're ready to battle again?" Kurumu snapped back. Inner Moka scowled at her, and would've kicked her all the way back to Bellwood if Ben didn't intervene.

"Can you stop antagonizing each other for 5 minutes?" Asked Ben. **"Heh, that's like asking SEGA for an SA3"** commented Vampire Ben.

"Are you sure... " _*jumbled mess of words/static*_ "...open a tunnel in Space-..." _*jumbled mess of words/static*_ "Have a gumball..." _*jumbled mess of words/static*_

That was a voice recording in the computers database, but it was badly corroded that some of the dialogue was impossible to hear clearly. "The audio files are corrupted, I can't make out anything" said Gwen.

"Why not have Ben Upgrade it? He's done it before" said Kurumu.

Ben turned on the Omnitrix again, scrolling to Upgrade's icon. "Worth a shot" he said, slamming his watch down and becoming said alien, shouting out its name.

 **"Seriously, what's the point of doing that?"** Inner Moka questioned his habit of shouting alien names... didn't Tennis Princess bring it up before?

"He's never done it when we were kids" Gwen brought up.

"Uh, not important" said Upgrade, beginning to fuse with the old computer. The minute he finished, the computer now Upgrade-colored, he replayed the files Gwen tried to listen to. Everyone listened closely to what it revealed:

_"Are you sure this... Time Machine, is gonna work? It's costing the U.S. government a pretty penny, Doctor."_

_"It's not much of a machine or vehicle, per say. The Chronologger is rather a subatomic drill designed to open a tunnel in Space-Time."_

_"It'll also give our Red buddies overseas a thing or two to think about."_

_"But to answer your question, there's only one way to find out."_

_"Are you certain this is safe, Doctor? These goggles are all we need for protection?"_

_"I'm not certain of anything, Hugo; but the chrono-magnetic field it generates should suffice."_

_"Doctor... I'm, a little nervous!"_

_"Have a gumball then, it'll calm your nerves."_

The last thing the group of heroes heard over loud humming was a deep roar before the audio cut off. They all took in what they just heard. "... did he say... a time machine?" Asked Kurumu, surprised at what she heard.

 **"Time Travel? Really? THAT'S what humans do in their spare time?"** Asked Inner Moka, finding that ridiculous.

"If what that recording said was true, then it looks like they were conducting some kind of experiment" said Gwen.

"Who wouldn't pick the middle of nowhere for top secret research?" Commented Kevin.

"Top secret... _*Gasp!*_ Hold on!" Said Kurumu, running back the the pile of books and folders she made. Throwing them behind her in a frenzy, "GOT IT! Here. I found this" said the succubus, handing a file to Gwen that said 'Top Secret' on it. Gwen began reading its contents, and Kurumu looked pleased with herself.

 **"And you didn't think that was important before; _why_?"** Asked Inner Moka. Before Kurumu could give a snappy answer, Gwen already started talking out loud about the file.

"According to this, there was an experiment called Project Paradox. Something about Quartz Crystals... The head scientist theorized they could open a portal through time and space" Gwen read, which got the groups attention. One of the voices on the tape said something about a time machine.

"Or maybe he wanted to build a really expensive wristwatch?" Kevin joked, which he got glares from.

 **"So was Emmett successful or not?"** Asked Inner Moka.

Gwen looked over the file to try and answer Inner Moka's question. "... doesn't say. His names been blotted out too... Ben? Anything about this guy?" Said Gwen, then asked Upgrade to look through the system for the scientist on the file, which she showed to Upgrade's screen/face. After a minute of beeping and machine noises, Upgrade's head popped out of the top, looking sad.

"Nothing. Just the picture itself" said Upgrade, coming out of the computer and transformed back into Ben. "But there was a record of where the experiments were performed. It's just down the street!" He continued, now having a determined facial expression.

-TIME BREAK-

Just like from the flashback, some of the equipment was unnaturally stretched. The "Time Machine" was also deactivated, and looked like it had taken quite a beating. Perhaps something went wrong, and someone destroyed it in a panic?

"It kinda looks like Reiny's Teleporter Pod" said Kurumu.

"Who's Reiny?" Asked Gwen.

"Eh, no one. Whoever that scientist was, his research was the baseline for an experimental tunnel though time" said Ben.

Inner Moka began feeling the stretched out equipment, slightly interested. They appeared to go into the portal. What exactly happened here? Did humans actually make science fiction nonfiction? They did that before by sending a man on the moon (though Ben once mentioned his Grandpa was supposed to be the first one). **"From the looks of it, they didn't fare too well"** Inner Moka put lightly. As she was doing this, Kurumu looked back to the booth behind them, hearing something... did something move? Raising her right hand and getting her nails out, she walked toward it without the others noticing.

"And those tracks are here too" said Gwen, mentioning the trail that was on the floor, the same one that 'thing' left as it moved. Weird thing was... there was only ONE trail.

"Only one trail? So it either came in here..." Ben began to say.

 **"Or came out of that"** said Inner Moka, pointing to the time device. The Chronologger she thinks it was called, or something.

"So... could that thing be a monster?" Asked Kevin, the group giving him a look. "I'm serious. You've been to a world of monsters', right? What if this machine instead opened a portal to this Yokai Academy place?" He suggested, which the group pondered about. That was actually a good observation. Could the experiment have gone wrong and did something else than what it was programmed to do? Technically, that's how Ben got his infamous watch.

"GOTCHA!" Kurumu's voice rang out. The rest of the team looked behind them into the booth, to see Kurumu in her full monster form, yet she was held back by what appeared to be a human in a lab coat.

"Hmmm... retracting nails... bat-like wings... and a tail that can enter dreams... succubus?" Asked the human, one that looked to be in his 30's... yet still held back one of Kurumu's deadly hands simply by holding it with one of his own.

Wait... tail that can enter dreams? What did that mean?

"Yeah? What's it to you?" Asked Kurumu in an annoyed tone, struggling in the grip of this human. She had no idea how he was so strong, his grip was equal to Inner Moka's!

"Oh nothing, just a curious old man" said the man... now in the entryway?! Kurumu looked back to where he was befo... what the? He was just holding her a second ago! "Kurumu Kurono, yes?... Have we met?... Or was that your mother? So hard to keep track" said the man, glancing away and holding his chin with 2 fingers as if trying to get his thoughts together.

"Isn't that the dork from the photo, the Paradox guy?" Asked Kevin, as he and the team walked over.

 **"One of your Love Slaves?"** Inner Moka 'asked'.

"HELL, NO! I'd rather Charm a slug!" Said Kurumu.

"Interesting you mention that, considering you and him once tried to..." piped up the man, saying something but then happened to catch Ben out of the corner of his eye. "AH! Ben! I'm surprised you didn't use Chromastone earlier... or was it Swampfire?... Difficult to tell these days" the man continued, apparently already familiar with both Ben and Kurumu.

"How... do you know my name? And Kurumu's?" Ben asked.

"I suppose the better question is: _have we met, yet?_... Or did we met; and then you thought it was a dream, which lead you to trust Kevin when you shouldn't have?" Said the man, then asked a question which no one had an answer too.

"You haven't changed at all... in 50 years" Gwen observed in amazement, seeing as the man standing in front of her now was a striking resemblance to the man in the photo, only it seemed he hadn't aged a day.

"50 years? It's been longer than that, I assure you... gumball?" Said the man, the Doctor from the experiment, also offering a piece of candy from a paper bag. He handed a yellow one to Ben, but he didn't answer, just looked confused. "No? How about you, Moka?" The Doctor directed his attention to Inner Moka instead.

This caught everyone off guard. Now she didn't show it, but his comment surprised Inner Moka as well. He knew her too? **"I'm good"** she denied him.

"Oh right, forgive me. You always loved the red ones, just like Kahlua... or was it Akua?... no, she liked the blue ones" the Doctor rambled, dropping the yellow ball back into its bag and pulling out a red one instead. NOW he had Inner Moka's attention. Where did he hear _those_ names?

"Uh... who are you? What's your name?" Asked Ben.

"To be honest, it slipped my mind several thousand years ago; though I was given the nickname Paradox, a name I quite like" said the Doctor, putting his treats away since no one wanted any, also giving his name/nickname.

"Uh, several THOUSAND years?!" Repeated Kurumu. The team looked in her direction as she said this, equally surprised as she was.

"... ok, seriously. Who are...?" Ben turned to ask Paradox, but he was gone!

"By the way," came the Doctor's voice, now standing at the doorway to the Chronologger room. The group could only stare. How'd he do that? "You didn't happen to see a creature around here, did you? About yay big, incredibly destructive, totally unstoppable?" He continued. Once he finished asking his question, Kevin slowly raised an index finger to point at a certain vampire next to him, which everyone noticed. "No?... I must be thinking of another moment. Ta-Ta!" Paradox said, going into the room with the Chronologger.

 **"Wait. WAIT! How did you know m...?!"** Inner Moka ran after him, only for no one to be in the room at all, leaving the vampire dumbfounded.

"Where'd he go?" Asked Kurumu, looking through the broken windows to see why Inner Moka wasn't charging anymore to kick some ass.

Gwen happened to look out the windows that showed outside the lab, seeing Paradox leaning calmly against a lamppost, having a smug look on his face. "He's out there!" She said.

"Is he screwing with us?" Asked Kevin, getting a little annoyed.

"If he's still here after 50 years, then he's obviously connected to that thing. We have to talk to him" said Ben, figuring this Doctor had something to do what that strange blue monster that was roaming the base.

"Oh, yeah. We'll talk alright" said Kevin, absorbing the wall.

 **"We're gonna have a REAL wholesome chat"** said Inner Moka.

BOOM!

That's when both vampire and Osmosian ran toward the windows and mowed them down, going after the Doctor across the street. This confused Ben, Gwen, and Kurumu. They got why Kevin was pissed, he had a short temper. But why Inner Moka?

Paradox, still smug, just got up from his position and went behind the lamppost. Kevin and Inner Moka tried cutting him off by going in opposite directions...

BONK!

"ARGH!"

Only to headbutt into each other and knock each other down.

 **"Watch where your going!"** Snapped Inner Moka after a few seconds of recovery.

"You ran into me!" Snapped Kevin. They both then heard a quick whistle. Looking at a house, they saw Paradox had somehow got in the doorway. Waving at them, he then closed the door. Kevin and Moka followed him in, with Kevin breaking down the door, but they once again didn't see him anymore.

That is; until they saw him in the next house over through the windows, still smiling at them, then stepping out of view. Inner Moka was the one to charge this time, performing a flying kick across one house to the next one. Kevin followed her shortly after. In Ben's, Gwen's and Kurumu's point of view; Paradox then opened the front door on the far left house, looking towards the destruction caused.

"I think they got the wrong address" he said, looked at the other 3, then closing the door. Instead of falling for that trick, Kurumu used her illusion magic to cause the house to begin forming into something, but smirked and canceled her power, making it crumble down.

...

...

...

"Was I in there?"

What the...?! Looking behind them, the trio saw Paradox smiling at them, then ran off. Annoyed, Kurumu flew after him. She pulled back a hand, then threw it forward to extended her nails as far as she could to stab the ground, but Paradox appeared to either phase through her attack or somehow she missed because he kept running from her. Going around a building, he ran past a door only a second before it was blasted open by flames. Ben (now Swampfire) ran out before being followed by the rest of the team.

"This is private property, ya know. Very expensive."

Somehow, Paradox was now standing in what used to be a doorway behind the group! This was crazy!

"He's faster than Gin fleeing from pissed off girls!" Said Kurumu, which she was right. Not even XLR8 was this quick! Furthermore, he smelled completely human, so he wasn't a monster either!

"How's he moving so fast?" Asked Swampfire.

"Quite simple, really. Its called: walking" said the Doctor's voice. Looking in its direction, he was leaning against a shed across the street, then walked behind it. Looking back to what Swampfire destroyed, Paradox had vanished!

"... Strolling, if you prefer."

Each of them, including Inner Moka, flinched at the close proximity of his voice. He had appeared from the side of Kevin out of nowhere! Just who or what WAS this guy? **"He's more annoying than me!"** Commented Vampire Ben.

With the Doctor now close enough, Kevin grabbed him by the collar of his lab coat. "Much better" he said, glad he could get his hands on this supposed 1000's year old man. Inner Moka was too, this human had some explaining to do...

"Easy on the jacket though, its over 1200 years old. In any case, thanks" said Paradox.

"For what?" Questioned Swampfire, then they all heard a familiar humming sound.

"For attracting its attention" said Paradox.

 **"Good... I need something to kick"** said Inner Moka.

"Oh, that's not a good idea. Even with your power unsealed" Paradox warned, with a concerned expression on his face... also apparently knowing Moka's secret, but that wasn't important right now. As the 'thing' began to approach, it went over grass... and this time, the group saw it wither. The only one who didn't was Kevin, who had already let go of Paradox and rushed toward the 'thing'.

"Uh, why'd the grass just die?" Asked Kurumu, now a little scared.

"Wait. The bones, the concrete... those trails aren't burns, their... age!" Gwen realized, which got the rest of her friends (minus Kevin) concerned. So this didn't destroy anything necessarily, but it accelerated time on anything it touched!

"Very good, Gwendolyn. And to think you once messed with time travel" said Paradox.

Kevin punched the 'thing', but it just continued to move past him, unaffected by his strike. But something began to happen to his hand, then it began spreading to the rest of his body! The Osmosian groaned as he began feeling the effects of touching the 'thing' take affect, his face becoming wrinkly and his hair turning white. He then collapsed. The 'thing' went down the street, with Paradox running alongside it.

 **"HEY! GET BA..."** Inner Moka demanded, as she also began to run after them, but Swampfire stopped her by wrapping vines on her shoulder before she could escape. **"BEN! LET GO! HE'S GETTING AWAY!"** The vampire shouted at him. This confused Swampfire. Inner Moka wasn't normally the type to rush in blindly at someone (though according to his other monster friends, she did once when he "died")... what was up with her tonight?

"We'll deal with him later!" Swampfire ordered assertively, releasing his hold. Somehow, he knew she wouldn't chase after him, his Hero's Intuition again. Inner Moka looked like she was ready to argue, but seeing the look in Swampfire's eyes made her shut up. They were firm and filled with concern (probably for Kevin).

Reluctantly, she obeyed the command; but eyed the Professor and monster as they fled.

Gwen and Kurumu were already by Kevin's body, which was face-down in the street. Swampfire rolled over the body, only to see an older-looking Kevin. He was bald on top of his head, which also had a few age-spots; his face and eyes were full of wrinkles; his lips were chapped and he only had a few top and bottom teeth left. He also wasn't responding... was he dead?

"Kevin!" Gwen said in a worried tone.

"Is... he ok?" Asked Kurumu, now very scared. Inner Moka also was a little shocked. Not even monsters of their world, S-Class or otherwise, had that kind of power!

"I don't know. Just touching that thing aged him like 60, maybe 80 years!" Said Ben, back to himself in a flash of light, also picking Kevin up.

"What are ya doing, get ya hands off me!" Said Kevin, feeling himself get picked up, then his pride kicked in and ordered Ben to release him. He sounded older too... WAY older. "My backs killing me, my legs ache... and whats with these shoes?!" Kevin complained.

"Let's... get you some help, Kevin" Gwen offered.

"I don't need any help, but that thing will when I kick its keister... UGH!" Kevin declared, kicking the ground but then grabbed his back in pain.

"He's like an irritable, stubborn, short-tempered man" said Kurumu.

 **"Sounds about the same to me"** said Inner Moka. **"Aside from a new haircut"** said Vampire Ben.

"WHY'S EVERYONE WHISPERING?!" Shouted Kevin with a hand on his ear, apparently unable to hear the 2 monsters' clearly despite being in close proximity.

"Come on, old man. Let's walk you across the street" Ben smirked.

-TIME BREAK-

Kevin got out his keys and tried unlocking his green car, but Ben gently swiped them. "What do you think your doing?" Growled Kevin, getting defensive.

"Driving" said Ben.

"No way! Ya don't have a license!" Said Kevin.

"He doesn't need a license to drive a cactus" groaned Kurumu, which the old man was trying to do thinking it was his car. This also made Inner Moka look unamused and Gwen faceplam. In the car, Ben revved the engine, getting a feel for it. Grandpa Max taught him how to, plus with Kevin the way he was...

"Ya should'a gone out with me when I was young and handsome" said Kevin, leaning to the front seats. Gwen was sitting in the passenger seat, which left Inner Moka and Kurumu in the back with Kevin.

"And smelled better" commented Kurumu.

"You were too immature" said Gwen.

"Now?" Asked Kevin, a bit hopeful.

 **"TOO mature"** commented Inner Moka.

"HEY! WHAT'D I SAY ABOUT BACKSEAT DRIVERS?!" Shouted Kevin, looking back at Inner Moka and Kurumu. That's when Inner Moka's energy flared. **"Yell at me again, and I'll SHOW you."**

That shut _everyone_ up.

BOOM!

The 'thing' suddenly burst out of a house, heading right for the car!

 **"BACK UP, SPONGEBOB!"** Called out Vampire Ben. Already doing that, Ben shifted to reverse and floored it. The tires screeched loudly as Ben booked it... also running through some garbage cans.

"HEY! IT'S NOT A BUMPER CAR!" Shouted Kevin, but no one acknowledged him. The 'thing' followed them as Ben turned a sharp corner...

BOOM!

Only for it to suddenly appear from behind, crashing through another house.

"BEN!" Shouted Gwen.

"I GOT IT!" He assured, shifting gears again and making a doughnut to now face forward, then made a hard right just as the 'thing' approached. Of course, it still followed them. As Ben drove, he flew down a neighborhood, but the 'thing' smashed through houses in its path. It kept getting closer and closer!

"KURUMU!" Ben called to her, and she already knew what her Destined One wanted. Looking out the back window, her eyes began glowing as she manipulated as many houses as she could, making giant barricades with them in an attempt to slow it down...

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

It was all in vain. It was also around this time, the car also seemed to drive unsteadily, and a beeping sound came from the dashboard. "Seriously?! Low air in a tire?!" Shouted Ben. He was sure Kevin filled them up with air this morning.

A certain vampire glared at a certain succubus, who chuckled nervously. "What'd you do to my baby?!" Asked Kevin, seeing Inner Moka's glare towards Kurumu.

Sadly, despite a good chase; the 'thing' grabbed Kevin's car with a tendril, aging it immensely. The paint chipped and darkened, the windows and lights cracked, the inside leather was all torn up, the tires weathered... pretty much anything you'd hate to happen to a car just happened.

"NO! NOT THE CAR! ANYTHING BUT THE CAR!" Cried Kevin, holding the sides of his head. Ben then made a sharp right again, and thankfully the 'thing' wasn't expecting it and was thrown off. It started chasing them again but up ahead, Ben saw a possible way out. Some boards were propped up like a ramp, but it was in front of a building...

"HANG ON!" Ben said.

 **"BEN, ARE YOU CRA...!"** Inner Moka tried to say.

VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Slamming his foot as far as it could on the gas, Ben raced towards the ramp as the 'thing' closed in on them again. He hoped he had enough speed...

The second after he sent the car flying upwards, the 'thing' smashed through the make-shift ramp and the building itself. Thankfully though, Ben made it to the top of the building as the car spun due to it slamming on the roof. The group stayed put with widened eyes for a full minute, processing what had just happened. After that, both Ben and Gwen helped Old Man Kevin out of the car.

"You are NEVER driving my car again!" Kevin asserted.

POP! CRASH! SNAP! SHATTER!

And the car broke apart. A door, all the windows, and it body itself fell off. "True" said Ben.

"Where have you all been? You were supposed be up on this roof six seconds ago!... Or am I six seconds early?" Said Paradox, looking at an old pocket watch. Inner Moka was about to ask Paradox what she was gonna ask before, but Ben beat her by asking one of his own.

"Can you please tell us what's going on here?" Ben asked.

"And what's with that creature?" Asked Gwen.

"More importantly, can ya fix my car?" Kevin asked.

"You look different, Mister Levin... get a haircut?" Asked Paradox, though his face and tone was in a joking matter.

 **"PFHT-HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA! I LOVE THIS GUY!"** Laughed Vampire Ben.

"Yeah... figured I'd part it down the middle, and get real OLD!" Kevin raised his voice, getting annoyed.

"You think your old? I walk in _eternity_ " said Paradox.

"Well, hope ya know how to run in eternity, Doctor Who!" Said Kevin, shaking his fist.

"Look, can you fix him or something?" Asked Kurumu, getting annoyed, but figured Paradox could help somehow. Honestly, she'd take the normal Kevin over this one.

"Hmm, perhaps your right. He might slow us down. Nothing I can't fix" said Paradox.

 **"And just how are you gonna do that?"** Inner Moka asked, doubtful.

"By coming back over here!" Said Paradox's voice from behind them, but he wasn't moving his lips. Turning around, they saw Paradox walk alongside a younger Kevin. Looking back to where Kevin and Paradox _were_ , the group saw they had disappeared.

Gwen didn't question it, she was just happy Kevin was back to normal, so she ran over and hugged him. "Kevin! Your good as new!" She said.

"Well, my back still kinda hurts. If I just had someone to lean on..." he joked, to which Gwen smiled at and pushed him off playfully. He was _definitely_ back to normal. "Ok Professor, so now can you fix my car?" Asked Kevin.

"And how do you expect me to do that?" Asked Paradox.

Everyone just looked at him like he was crazy. **"You... go back in time and, bring it _back_!"** Inner Moka said, rather rudely.

"I'm a time traveling scientist, not a mechanic" said Paradox.

"You don't HAVE to be, just drive it back... or forward, or whatever!" Said Kurumu, getting confused on this time travel stuff.

When Paradox gave an explanation (something about breaking chrono-laws), "OK, ENOUGH! I want answers, NOW!" Ben demanded, having enough himself.

"There's the Ben Tennyson I know. Your more like yourself than you became in the future. Thankfully this timeline was written by a fan and not some corporation wanting to make a quick buck" said Paradox. Once again, the Professor was stared at.

"You want me to hurt him?" Asked Kevin, punching his open palm.

"Works for me" said Kurumu, raising a hand and growing nails out of it.

 **"I second that motion"** said Inner Moka, her patience wearing thin. If she had known this would happen, she never would have flared her power through the Rosario to scare Ruby into opening that portal in the first place. Then again, things certainly haven't been boring, but still...

"How about I tell you my story with a beginning, middle and end?" Asked Paradox, his pocket watch back out and opened. But he didn't wait for a response and somehow, the pocket watch glowed and a bright flash blinded the teams vision. This caused everyone to witness a series of flashbacks, most likely Paradox's.

-FLASHBACK-

 **Paradox:** What most people, even the majority of the government itself never knew, was that Los Soledad was built entirely for my ingenious theory. I discovered properties in Quartz Crystals, that could allow manipulation of time and space. Just imagine it! We could access past, present and future events; jump across the galaxy; or even different worlds altogether.

_Flashback shows Paradox going through papers and creating formulas about these Quartz Crystals._

**Paradox:** So I created the Chronologger, a sub-atomic drill that could utilize the crystals' to create an opening in the fabric of Space-Time.

_Flashback shows Paradox and his Assistant operating the Chronologger from the first flashback, then something started the go wrong._

**Kevin:** Sounds like ya failed.

 **Paradox:** Sort of. A small, very tiny miscalculation caused the Chronologger to rip open Space-Time continuously; tearing a hole in reality and pulling me into the event horizon. While I was there, a few thousand or so years must have passed.

_Flashback shows the gravitational force from the Chronologger pull Paradox into the machine itself. Afterwards, he found himself stuck in a swirling vortex of blue, then black nothingness._

**Kurumu:** How did you survive that long without food?!

 **Paradox:** That's the thing, I didn't need to. Didn't need to sleep, walk or even breathe. Didn't age either, I just simply existed outside of time itself.

_Flashback shows Paradox, at first, horrified at what was happening to him. Then crazy._

**Paradox:** At first, I went mad, not understanding what was happening to me... but then I got bored with that after some millennia, and became sane again. So what did I do? I began to learn and experiment, just the scientist in me was meant too.

_Flashback shows Paradox floating around with equations everywhere, traveling into different parts of history and testing out whatever power he was exposed too._

-END FLASHBCK-

FLASH!

The group was back on the roof again, the pocket watch stopped glowing and Paradox closed it. "After all that, I gained a total understanding of the Space-Time Continuum, letting me travel anywhere and any-when I desire. There are a few rules but rather than bore you with the details, I can go any place across time and space... within reason of course" Paradox concluded.

 **"You can remember all that; but not your name, or fix the car?"** Asked Inner Moka, though her question didn't get answered.

"So... if your a Time Traveler, where's your new Time Machine?" Asked Kevin, considering the Chronologger in this base was destroyed and clearly not usable.

"It's not your pocket watch, is it?" Kurumu assumed.

"He doesn't need a Time Machine... he _IS_ the Time Machine!" Ben deduced.

"Exactly!" Paradox confirmed with a wink and pointing to Ben. "Think of me as a map. I know where all the shortcuts are, and have spent dozens of lifetimes crisscrossing the time stream, making it a better place as I go along" said Paradox, walking away...

And then they all ended up in some kind of classroom somewhere in the base. Seriously, this was getting crazy!

There was a chalkboard that Paradox was walking towards with a bunch of diagrams of some kind, and information the group couldn't understand. "The reason I'm back here, is because I recently discovered an extra-dimensional creature will wreck havoc across the universe if I can't stop it. In fact, it seems to have appeared when my experiment went awry" Paradox explained, picking up a piece of chalk. From his explanation, it appeared that Outer Moka was right. That 'thing' wasn't an alien at all.

"So just to be clear, its your fault" said Kevin.

"But this creature wasn't lurking around for 50 years, people would have known about it" said Gwen.

"An excellent point, Gwendolyn. But to put this in a way you can understand: time is like a river. It flows and bends" said Paradox, drawing 2 lines down the board that he made squiggle beside each other. "Think of my experiment as a depth charge, indirectly releasing the creature, and blasting it 50 years forward to your present. As a result, its doing _this_ to your timeline" he continued, now drawing another 'river' that went over the other 'rivers' he drew before.

Inner Moka was getting REALLY annoyed now, so much so that she growled to herself. What was this all supposed to mean? It was just a bunch of squiggly lines! **"So its destroying an old military base that's no longer in use, big deal! Why the hell is that a problem for the great Doctor Strange?"** Asked Inner Moka.

"That's a question for the man on the moon" said Paradox. "Uh, Neil Armstrong?" Asked Ben.

"Me" Paradox said, his voice echoing and thumb-pointing to himself. They were now in space... on the moon.

"Aaaaaaaaaand we're on the moon" said Kurumu, giving up on trying to understand all of this.

"On the moon, approximately 200 years in your future to be precise" said Paradox.

"WHAT? How are we breathing?!" Asked Kevin.

"Good question, not the point though" said Paradox, dismissing Kevin's question.

"So why bring us to the moon?" Asked Gwen.

"Imagine what that time monster would do, wandering around and aging everything it touches" said Paradox.

"Your saying Earth will look like the moon?" Asked Kurumu.

"No. It'll look like that" said Paradox, looking upwards behind him. The group followed his line of sight...

To see a dull-looking earth, no longer the beautiful green and blue planet its famous for. There were some clouds on it, but even they looked dead if that made any sense. Everyone aside from Paradox felt their blood run cold and their breath being taken away at the sight of their home planet.

"... you didn't just bring us to the future... you brought us to the worst possible version of the future" Ben said.

"Oh no. Should I fail to stop that creature... this is the _BEST_ possible future" Paradox said, his tone now serious. Everyone stared back at the planet, taking in Paradox's words. If they couldn't stop that thing from making this future... there most likely wouldn't BE a future.

 **"Well fuck me sideways and call me B-Negative"** said Vampire Ben, sounding stunned himself.

"Oh, what are you doing here?" Paradox suddenly said to someone. Ben and his team looked to see who Paradox spoke to. "I'm allowing myself to feel the full impact of my failure. If only I could have figured out how to stop it..." said... another Paradox?!

 **"Ok. Who the fuck is that?"** Asked Inner Moka, dryly.

"A parallel Paradox. The one from this future" said Ben, figuring the 2nd Paradox was this timelines version of him.

"Young Ben appears to have a decent understanding trans-temporal metaphysics. That should serve him well in his future... er, past... you know what I mean" said the 2nd Paradox.

"And I drive pretty good too" Ben smiled.

"So you can make us breathe on the moon, but can't fix my car?" Asked Kevin. Just like Inner Moka's car question however, he was ignored.

"So what should I do?" Paradox asked the 2nd one. "Well obviously not what I did, but you'd better hurry. For _time_ is running out" said the 2nd Paradox, as he opened his pocket watch.

FLASH!

Everyone was now back in the timeline they were originally from. "Since this started 50 years ago, why not just go back in time and prevent the experiment from ever happening?" Suggested Gwen.

"Heh. Just like an Energy Being, thinking outside temporal conventions" said Paradox, earning a glare from Gwen. She HATED being called that, despite it being true. "Because if the experiment DOESN'T happen, it'll also unstick me in the event horizon, preventing me from getting my powers. And that MUST happen because..." Paradox began.

"You've already saved time itself dozens of times before" Ben finished, figuring out the issue with Gwen's plan. If Paradox's experiment doesn't go wrong, then everything he did afterward would be undone, making his actions of saving the world as many times as he did all for naught.

"Dozens? Try thousands. You and I even worked together on a few occasions. In fact, there was one instance when a 200-year-old regenerating organism had gotten so powerful; only you, the vampire and Moka had enough power too..." Paradox began to ramble, making Ben cock an eyebrow. Inner Moka did too. What was the old man going on about now?

"Oh, er, nevermind. Our friend should be arriving any..." said Paradox, dismissing what he was saying. After that, he opened his pocket watch to check the time, and that's when the sound of humming and destruction filled the air. "Its almost like you could set a watch by it" said Paradox, as a house was just destroyed and the Extra-Dimensional Creature emerged from it.

Taking Paradox's hint, Ben activated his Omnitrix and chose, "JETRAY!"

They manta ray-like alien took flight, and fired a few neuroshock beams from his eyes at the Extra-Dimensional Creature, thinking he could paralyze it. He got one hit on the creatures forehead, but it only appeared slightly effected. When Jetray tried again, using his tail this time, the Extra-Dimensional Creature sped forward so all the manta ray ended up hitting was an afterimage. Paradox took out a large handful of gumballs out of his bag, and threw them at the Extra-Dimensional Creature. Everyone raised an eyebrow at this.

But it actually stopped. Like, the creature was completely stopped.

"Wait... that worked?" Asked Jetray, landing in front of the group.

"Doesn't it age anything it touches?" Asked Kurumu.

"Gum lasts a really long time, just look under your school desks" said Paradox with a smile, but that changed to horror when the Extra-Dimension Creature began moving again, albeit much slower. Jetray got out of the way easily enough, and Gwen was ready to use her powers to make a wall of mana. Kevin, Kurumu and Inner Moka were pretty much useless in this situation; since they were more close combat oriented.

What they didn't expect was Paradox to jump and take the monster head-on, which once again halted all of its movements, though it was clear that the professor was struggling.

"Let go of it! It'll age you into dust!" Called Gwen, worried about they're new ally.

"I already told you... I exist outside of time... though I still feel the eons passing!" Said Paradox, trying his best to hold the Extra-Dimensional Creature back, though it looked worse than painful since his body kept expanding and shirking due to his and the creatures powers' colliding. Both monsters' were also really scared. They hadn't seen anything like this before. Was this what the 2nd Paradox did? Was this the moment he failed as their powers meshed together, causing everything to go wrong?

Jetray landed again and changed back into Ben. "Paradox, take us back to the 50's! The day of the accident!" Said Ben.

"Weren't you listening?... It HAS to happen because..." Paradox began to remind him, but Ben cut him off.

"Just do it!" He ordered the Time Traveler. In a flash, though he was still struggling with the Extra-Dimensional Creature; the scenery changed to what appeared to be an active military base, though late at night.

"Guys! Lab! NOW!" Ben ordered again. "Paradox, keep that thing occupied!" He told Paradox as he left with his friends.

"K-Keep it occupied? I'm a Time Traveler! I don't keep things occu-PIIIIIIIIIED!" Paradox tried to say, but the Extra-Dimensional Creature appeared to have regained its speed for it launched itself forward with Paradox handing on for dear life, the effect of the gumballs having worn off.

The group headed right for the lab the experiment was being held in. Ben tried the door... "Of course its locked" he deadpanned. Shit! He went to go for his watch, but Inner Moka stepped by him...

POW!

And kicked the door... in and off.

How no one heard that was beyond Ben, but didn't take the time to question it. The group heard the same conversation from the audio files take place, and deduced this was mere moments before the actual accident occurred. They snuck by and crawled below the glass so the personnel didn't see them. They didn't want to mess with events before they happened, that might either make the situation worse or cause the group to miss their chance.

As the Past Paradox was getting ready to start his Time Machine, Ben had a thought. "Why did it use the phone?" He whispered.

"What?" Asked Gwen. "The Extra-Dimension Thingy. Remember those tracks you found leading to the payphone? Then the trail Kurumu found to the police station? And the one I found to the dorms? It wasn't acting like some destructive, malevolent creature... it acted like someone looking for help" said Ben.

It was around this time the machine turned on, and Past Paradox was watching his device work. "Are you certain this is safe, Doctor? These goggles are all we need for protection?" Asked the Assistant, as wind began blowing all through the lab. "I'm not certain of anything, Hugo; but the chrono-magnetic field it generates should suffice" said the Doctor, unsure himself. The assistant (Hugo) voiced his concerns, but Paradox offered him a gumball.

Hugo didn't take a gumball, just backed off rather quickly. He wasn't watching where he was going, and fell over himself on a control panel, the impact causing it to spark.

It was at THAT exact moment, the Chronologger began to malfunction, pulling Past Paradox into the event horizon with no way of saving himself. Hugo was then being dragged in next, holding onto some stretched-out equipment to try and hold himself in place. "The assistant!" Said Ben, realizing the existence of the Extra-Dimensional Creature. If he could save him, then Paradox could still have his powers, and the world would be saved from that horrible future they all saw!

Ben began crawling towards the malfunctioning Chronologger. "WHO LET THAT KID IN HERE?!" Said the General.

"BEN! DON'T!" Cried out Gwen.

"YOU'LL GET SUCKED IN WITH HIM!" Said Kurumu. But Ben didn't listen, he was still reaching for the assistant. It was here that Inner Moka felt a sudden pang in her heart, and her body got up on its own accord to hold Ben back by an arm, using the vampiric strength in her legs to kept them both grounded. The General asked himself where these kids came from, but didn't verbally say it due to events taking place.

 **"YOU... ARE... AN IDIOT! NOW WE'LL BOTH GET SUCKED IN!"** She yelled at the Omnitrix teen because even with her S-Class strength, she was starting to loose ground. If she stayed like this any longer, she AND Ben would be dragged off with Paradox and his assistant.

"Then maybe we should put on a little weight" said Ben, turning on his Omnitrix and slamming it down.

FLASH!

A giant shadow loomed over Ben's group and the military personnel, and with a mighty roar: "HUUUUUUUUUUUMUNGOUSAUR!"

Inner Moka was no longer holding Ben's arm, but a giant Vaxasaurian's leg due to Ben's transformation. Just as Hugo lost his grip, the Vaxasaurian managed to catch him by holding himself against the portal and reaching inside. Due to the close proximity, Inner Moka lost her balance and grip, and went off into the void as well, screaming! Thankfully, a large hand made of machinery grabbed her. Looking back, Humungousaur saw it was courtesy of Kurumu's magic.

"HURRY! I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN HOLD!" Said Kurumu, her energy draining fast due to the powerful pull of the Chronologger, as well as from using it several times tonight.

Taking a risk, Humungousaur used his other hand to grab Inner Moka by her legs. "I GOTCHA!" He told both Hugo and Inner Moka. But with both arms in use however, Humungousaur didn't have much leverage to back up. He then felt a surge of energy flood his legs, and his Omnitrix emblem was glowing dark green again.

 **"COME ON! MOVE!"** Vampire Ben's voice shouted in Humungousaur's head. He did just that and while it was a bit easier to walk backward and away from the Machine, it was still a struggle for the dinosaur-like alien. "GRRRR... SHUT IT DOWN! SHUT IT DOWN!" He roared.

Gwen stood up, and blasted the out-of-control Chronologger with multiple mana blasts, and didn't stop until Machine's portal closed in on itself.

Back outside, Paradox was riding on the Extra-Dimensional Creature as it sped around the base, trying to fling the Time Traveler off. When that didn't work, it then headed straight for a building. The second just before impact, Paradox closed his eyes to brace himself...

...

...

...

Huh? Nothing happened. No pain from crashing through buildings, no head trauma, no nothing. Looking down, Paradox was no longer holding an Extra-Dimensional Creature... but a young man, in the same lab coat as Paradox. The young man looked up as his mentor, confused as to what had transpired.

"HUGO! OF COURSE! If there was a snake in my boot, it would've bit me!" Said Paradox, hitting his forehead lightly, feeling rather silly he couldn't figure out that the destructive monster was in fact his assistant. Ben and this team walked over to Paradox. All they had to do to find him was follow the still-present age trail. They all looked at the Time Traveler, all looking smug since THEY were the ones to figure out what the problem was.

"D-Don't give me that look! I would've figured it out... eventually" Paradox claimed, a little embarrassed.

 **"You had eternity, yet it took a bunch of teens less than 5 minutes!"** Said Inner Moka. Hugo looked back and forth between his mentor and the group of kids, still confused on what the heck was going on. Before he could ask, the teens and Paradox vanished in a flash of light.

-TIME BREAK-

Appearing back to the present, while the military base was still abandoned, there was no damage caused by an unstoppable monster this time around. "I must admit, Ben. I'm very impressed. Never once did it ever occur to me that someone else was dragged into the event horizon. Your much smarter here than when I met you in another timeline" praised Paradox.

"Uh... thanks, I guess?" Said Ben, unsure how else he should respond to that.

SLAP!

"OW!" Ben yelped, Inner Moka having slapped him across the face.

 **"That's for almost getting me sucked into the void!"** Said Inner Moka.

As Ben began rubbing his cheek, "Your the one who went after him in the first place" Gwen brought up, which made Inner Moka open her mouth to counter, but nothing came out. She just folded her arms and stayed silent.

"So now that that guys no longer mutated, whatever happened to him?" Kurumu asked Paradox, but her answer didn't come from Time Traveler.

"Oh I... lived my life" said the voice of an older Hugo, who appeared to join them. He looked around 50 years older than the last time he was seen. Aside from the white hair and cane, not much else changed about him. "Had a feeling I'd find you here eventually. Was only a matter of time" he punned.

"Hugo! How are you, old friend?" Asked Paradox, giving his old colleague a handshake, happy to see him again.

"I'm pretty old, though you look the same after 50 years" said Hugo, showing a witty sense of humor.

"Yes, time flies I suppose, but you don't look that bad. How was your life?" Asked Paradox. This kinda confused Ben and his friends. Shouldn't he already know since he time travels... or was he just doing it for the sake of conversation?

"It was a good life. Got married, had a wife and kids. But I always made time to come back here, even after Los Soledad shut down because... well... I'm sorry about the experiment. It was all my fault; I ruined everything. We never got to time travel together" said Hugo, sounding regretful for his mistake back in the day.

"Would you still like too?" Paradox offered, to which Hugo smiled at.

"... Yes... I would like that allot" the old assisant said.

"Splendid! How's about a behind-the-scenes look, at eternity?" Asked Paradox, opening his pocket watch. It glowed, and some kind of portal similar to the one the Chronologger had appeared, though this one was MUCH more stable. Helping his old friend along, Paradox lead Hugo through the portal to parts unknown.

"THANKS FOR LEAVING US IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE WITHOUT A RIDE!" Kevin yelled in frustration.

"At least he's got company now" said Gwen.

 **"Would it have killed him to send us home first?... Or does that break chrono-laws too?"** Scowled Inner Moka, having the same emotions as Kevin.

"Come on, I'll Way Big walk us home" said Ben, going for his Omnitrix one final time... but it was red. "You have the worst sense of timing" Ben said to the Omnitrix.

 _'I don't suppose you can donate some juice?'_ Ben said in his head. **"I'm a vampire, not the fucking Energizer Bunny"** said Vampire Ben, responding back to Ben.

"Greeeeeeeeeat... we got a long walk back to Bellwood" grumbled Kurumu. They all walked towards the exit. As they did, all 5 paired of their eyes widened!

...

...

...

It was Kevin's car! It was back!

"OH-HOHOOOOO! STOKED!" Said Kevin, the first one to run towards his 'baby'. Everyone else joined in a second later.

"He fixed it!" Said Kurumu, happy she didn't have to walk back to Bellwood know. It would be an easy flight, but she was exhausted.

"It looks like new!" Said Gwen.

"It's doesn't just look new... it IS new! Fresh outta the factory from 30 years ago!" Said Kevin, noticing the interior was also improved significantly. "Paradox, I take back everything I ever said or was about to say about you" he continued, looking up at the sky, thanking the Time Traveler for his help.

Gwen and Kurumu got in the car in their usual spots, but Inner Moka noticed something folded on one of the windshield wipers. Curious, she picked it up.

"What is it?" Asked Ben, having noticed Inner Moka go for the note.

 **"Dear Kevin; keep in mind that due to me breaking chrono-law, if this car so much as touches anything from the 70's... it'll explode like antimatter"** she read, but then tossed the note upon seeing who wrote it, and went in the car, having had more than enough.

Ben caught the note as it fluttered in the air, and looked at it. "... its from Paradox" Ben said after skimming down the note, getting into the car himself.

"Heh... he's kidding, right?... I mean, its just some kind of silly time travel joke... isn't it?" Said Kevin, getting in the car along with Ben, but began nervously querying if Paradox was joking or not.

As he drove back to Bellwood... another car question was never answered.


	9. Chapter 9

A few days after meeting Paradox; Moka, Kurumu and Julie were having some girl-time at Julie's house. Despite the monsters' obvious feelings towards her boyfriend, Julie figured that could somehow still get along... though that _side_ of Moka still bugged her. She actually requested Moka to take off the Rosario, but Moka's response was: "I can't" in her normal innocent/shy demeanor. When asked why, her next response was "I don't know, but only Ben can remove it".

That sounded very odd. Only Ben can take it off? Then how did it get on her in the first place... and why DID she have it at all? Julie was told by Ben once it was to seal her monster nature but if that was the case, why could Kurumu easily cover her's up? Maybe it was due to all that power Moka had? She was an S-Class monster according to their worlds system, so maybe all S-Class monsters' needed an magic item to help contain all that excess energy?

Julie wasn't gonna pretend she understood... cause she couldn't. So she dropped the subject entirely.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

The monster duo jumped at the sound of knocking at the back door, not expecting it, which made Julie giggle. Even though they were monsters', they didn't act like the ones from legends or stories. They just seemed like any other girls that loved clothes, shopping, talking about boys, etc. But getting back to the door, with the monster girls following behind her, she looked down towards the guest. Once she saw who it was, granted this was a common occurrence after Ben and Julie's first date (and one she'll never forget), she smiled.

The other two had a similar reaction.

 **Moka** and **Kurumu** : AWWWWWW!

 **The Guest** : Ship! Ship!

( **AN:** Theme song.)

**Chapter 5: Grounded + Vampire**

Now, Moka and Kurumu just assumed this was Ben as a smaller version of Upgrade, or an _Alien-Combo_ he once mentioned that happened before on _accident_. The reason they thought this was not only because Upgrade was smaller, but appeared dog-like... complete with a tail! Luckily for Julie, her parents were out working, so this was the perfect time to spend with the mini Mechomorph. She went out as "Upgrade" followed her and hopped around her... but continued to say 'Ship', much to the monsters' confusion.

It was cute, but still confusing.

"Where have you been? I missed you!" Julie said to 'Upgrade'.

"How? You just had a Burger Shack date 3 hours ago... again..." said Kurumu, a little down about it. She understood this was Ben's girlfriend of course, but that didn't mean it still didn't hurt.

 **"And why the hell does he keep saying Ship?"** Asked Inner Moka.

"Ben? How did you get smaller like that?" Asked Moka.

"Ship?" 'Upgrade' cocked his head in confusion, making Julie giggle again.

"Its not Ben. This is Ship, my pet" said Julie, explaining this wasn't Ben.

"Pet?" Asked Kurumu and Moka at the same time, both monsters' (Inner Moka included) even more confused.

 **"Since when do humans sell aliens at PetSmart?"** Asked Inner Moka.

"I've been looking after him after Ben and I met him at the pier on our date. It was... quite the night" said Julie, reminiscing her first date with Ben. "Ok, Ship. Got any new tricks?" Julie asked Ship, her attention back on her pet.

Ship jumped up into the air and with a flash of green energy, fell back to the ground as a toaster. It then flung 2 toasted bread slices out of the top, only they had the green circuitry akin to Mechomorphs for some reason. Julie and Moka managed to dodge the first slice, but Kurumu was hit in the forehead by the second. It didn't hurt or anything, in fact all 3 girls found it rather funny. Inner Moka gave no opinion however.

"That's actually pretty cool. What else can he do?" Said Moka.

"Go ahead and tell him something" said Julie.

"Um... a dishwasher?" Asked Moka, for the heck of it. Sure enough, Ship obeyed and jumped up, becoming said machine. It whirled and made beeping noises, then some water and soap suds leaked out of the large door. A dinging sound later; it opened to reveal plates, cups, etc. (also having the Mechomorph circuitry) before changing back to its normal dog-like form.

"Good boy, good Ship" said Julie, petting the dog-like alien on the head.

"Ooh, how's about a boat?!" Said Kurumu, excitedly.

Ship jumped. The girls' looked up... and they're mouths dropped...

CRASH!

Ship had transformed into a military-tier submarine, blowing its horn and everything. "... close enough. Change back" said Julie. The good news is, Ship obeyed her command... the bad news is, there was a large trench-like gap in her backyard, which also edged into both neighboring yards. Thankfully, they were out too.

"G-Good Ship" Julie said, petting Ship yet again, which he enjoyed. Moka and Kurumu also took turns, it was hard to resist touching a cute alien dog and hearing its electronic sounds of happiness. Julie was thinking how she was gonna explain this to people should they start asking questions, but it didn't last long because all 3 girls' heard the horn of Kevin's car. They smiled, knowing why he was here.

"Oh, we gotta go. See ya later, ok Ship?" Julie said, heading back inside to get her purse.

"Aw, we can't take him?" Whined Moka, having gotten to like the little dog-like Upgrade.

"Unless you want Kevin to start ranting about no pets in the car?" Asked Julie, already predicting something Kevin would say.

"He can't just hitch a ride on the car?" Asked Kurumu, knowing enough about a Mechomorphs' powers to know they could attach to machines. She's seen Ben do that allot with his transformation of one.

"You know how Kevin is. Besides, Ship'll be fine" said Julie, as Ship would come and go as he pleased like a cat.

"Maybe we could _convince_ him..." Kurumu suggested with a sly smirk, implying the use of her powers.

"Like how you failed to _convince_ my boyfriend?" Asked Julie jokingly, which shut Kurumu up immediately. Julie didn't hold it against Kurumu... ok, she did when Ben told her the story of how they met, but understood once he also told her succubi were basically on the endangered species list. That didn't mean Julie wouldn't set Kurumu straight if she DID try anything funny to her man in the future. They went back through the house with Ship attempting to follow, but the door was closed before he could step in.

Once all 3 friends' went back through the house and into Kevin's car, he was driving with Gwen in the left backseat. Moka got in the middle with Julie taking the back right, and Kurumu got in the front.

"You ready to shop?" Asked Gwen excitedly.

"Gift cards" said Julie.

"Coupons" added Moka.

"And sales flyers" finished Kurumu, then all the girls shrieked with glee. Kevin cringed the second that high pitched sound entered his ears, the only one that shared his pain was Inner Moka.

"What did I say about shrieking in the car?" Said Kevin.

"Sometimes people shriek. Its a natural thing" said Gwen.

"Kinda how you and Ben when you watch football" jabbed Julie.

"THAT'S NOT SHRIEKING, THAT'S...!" Kevin defended himself, but realized he just shrieked himself. " _*ahem*_... competitive yelling" he finished, which both Moka and Julie giggled at.

"Uh-huh" both Gwen and Kurumu said. As Kevin drove off, none realized that Ship managed to catch up and fuse himself with the rear lights of the car.

-TIME BREAK-

Julie mentioned she invited Ben, but he already had a movie night planned with his parents... which wasn't a total lie, he DID have a movie planned... just no parents. But in any case, some Forever Knights attacked the shopping trip group, but they were after Ship who stowed away on the car. Gwen, Kurumu and Kevin were left to fight them off; though Julie did attempt to release Moka, which obviously didn't work and caused the poor vampire some pain in her neck as the tennis player pulled.

Ben was watching his movie called: _Brain-Stealers From Outer Space_ , a movie he found he ironically enjoyed. At commercial break and when Ben ran out of popcorn, **"This movie's trash"** commented a voice in his head.

"Aw, what are ya talking talking about?" Ben asked the voice out loud as he heated up some popcorn in the microwave. Since no one was home, he was free to talk to his other self without looking like he was talking to an imaginary friend.

 **"Just LOOK at it! Recorded on a toaster, bland overused storyline, cheesy 'special effects'... ya might as well be watching _Mars Needs Moms_ "** Vampire Ben said. Ben was gonna retort, but then got a call from Gwen as soon as he began pouring his popcorn into the bowl. She gave directions, then said "Now!", which Ben wasted no time choosing a Hero to get there quick. He chose Jetray and flew out of his house window.

By the time he arrived, the attack had already finished, and Ship was dognapped!

-TIME BREAK-

Now the group was back at Ben's house in front of the garage, waiting for the tow truck Kevin called to get his car that was damaged during the fight... again. "And I just got it factory new..." grumbled Kevin, annoyed his new car was now wrecked not even a week after getting it.

"Is that all you think about?" Asked Gwen.

"Nah-uh!... Sometimes I think about ships" said Kevin, indirectly making a pun.

"Speaking of Ships, how long has he been dropping by?" Ben asked Julie.

"For a while now. He comes and goes, shows me a new trick," Julie explained.

"What kind of trick?" Asked Ben.

"Ya know, changing into stuff" said Julie.

"Yeah, I didn't know Upgrades' could do that. It was kinda cool" said Kurumu.

"Even when it turned into a submarine and destroyed Julie's backyard" Moka added.

"Cools one word for it. Makes sense why the Forever Knights would want it, it can turn into any weapon or piece of tech it touches" Kevin said, putting his two cents in.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ben asked Julie.

"Because you said after we got home that night, you wanted nothing to do with Ship" said Julie, folding her arms over her chest.

"I-I never said that!" Ben denied.

"Yes you did" said Gwen and Vampire Ben in unison.

"How would you know?" Asked Ben, looking at the Omnitrix. **"I was there"** said Vampire Ben, sounding a bit annoyed he had to explain that part.

"You were?" Ben questioned. **"Where else would I be?! Up your ass?!"** Snapped Vampire Ben.

"Whose side are you-?" Ben stopped because he realized he was talking out loud that time, and looked with his eyes to see that everyone was staring at him. All his friends looked at him with concern, though only 2 of them knew what was really going on with him. "Uh..." Ben began, but was saved by the sound of the tow truck coming up to the driveway with Kevin's car in tow.

To make a long story short, the team ended up tracking down Ship at an estate and Julie tagged along... whether they liked it or not. If it was one thing she had in common with Inner Moka, is once she set her mind on something... end of discussion. No changing it. Period.

Once they go to the hideout of the Forever Knights (ironically, the place was called Lancelot Estates), they had to fight a few Knights. Only this time Inner Moka was released, and the Knights weren't used to her wrath. This allowed Julie to join in by picking up one of the discarded Forever Knight weapons, and using it against some grunts, bragging it was allot like tennis.

They met a scientist calling himself Dr. Joseph Chadwick, who had a large scar over his right eye, had taken control of Ship. The dog-like Mechomorph had also taken control of a large ship that Kevin called "A Flying Arsenal", at that couldn't be further from the truth. Missile launchers, laser cannons, a deadly targeting system... the team was lucky none of them were injured, but they came close to being killed. If that wasn't bad enough, they had to deal with even more Forever Knights.

In the end, it was Julie herself who saved the day, being able to reach Ship through the sound of her voice. It was also because Ben (as Swampfire) let it slip he was watching _Brain-Stealers From Outer Space_ by himself, which got Julie a little upset that he lied to her (and Vampire Ben laughing at him for getting caught), but she used the movies ending to save Ship.

The little alien used the very weapon the Forever Knights wanted to mass produce against them, destroying the base and flying off with the group safe in its hull... which Julie bragged to Inner Moka with: "Not bad for a human, huh?"

Yup, just another day in the office for our favorite American hero.

-TIME BREAK-

But 2 days after that, those days just might be over...

"Ben and those girls are such good kids" complimented Ben's mom, Sandra. She was driving her and her husband Carl back home from a night out.

"They're not good kids, they're great kids" Carl agreed.

BOOM!

Sandra had to hit the brakes to stop them from crashing into a fire on the road caused by an explosion. Once they got out of the car, they saw and ran from a giant alien (a Highbreed). They didn't notice Gwen and Kevin fighting it since the adults ran AWAY from the danger; but DID notice Ben, Moka and Kurumu running TOWARDS the danger. They called out to them, but they must not have heard them... then the parents saw him tear off Moka's rosary, making a blinding flash!

When it settled: all the Tennyson parents saw was that Moka had disappeared (have used her newly unsealed vampire speed); and Kurumu gained wings, a tail, and VERY long nails; flying off towards the Highbreed. If that wasn't enough, Ben had somehow just transformed in a green flash... into plant-like being they blasted fire out of his palms! All the parents could do was stare in shock with wide eyes. They saw the entire battle take place, mostly seeing what Ben and his Japanese friends were doing since that was all the adults could see from their hiding spot.

They even saw Ben get severely injured by the Highbreed when it whacked him away with a streetlamp and sending him crashing into a building. This of course caused Kurumu to go into a slashing frenzy, which the Highbreed avoided, and a silver blur that knocked the Highbreed into another building. The Highbreed fled shortly after, saying it had wasted enough time with the likes of them.

-TIME BREAK-

When Ben and the girls arrived back home, Sandra and Carl were waiting for them the second they walked in the door, with Sandra asking where they were. Ben said they were _coming home from the movies, and Ben got a black eye from JT and Cash_.

The gig was up when Carl asked: "Was that before... or AFTER the giant alien creature?" Ben, Moka and Kurumu had no idea what to say to that. Looks like they were busted.

"I can't believe it. You looked us straight in the face, even after we opened our home to your friends, and you lied to us! Over and over again!... How many times has this happened?" Said Sandra, wanting answers.

"We saw everything. The alien, you turning into a humanoid Venus Flytrap, and Kurumu flying around like a bat" said Carl, revealed what they knew.

Moka and Kurumu were still speechless, but were also a little surprised as well. They were told in Yokai Academy that humans would fear them for being monsters or at the very least, try to kill them. But like Ben, his parents responded differently. They appeared to be more concerned than anything, not to mention hurt as they just found out the truth.

"Er, no. You just THINK you saw..." Ben attempted to reason, but Carl grabbed his arm and allowed the Omnitrix to be revealed, pointing to the item in question... Ben's secret was out.

"... which allows me to access genetic codes of extraterrestrial forms and use them for 10 minutes at a time to fight the DNAliens' from taking over the earth" Ben explained to his parents what he did and how he did it. The Omnitrix, the aliens within (minus the one monster), and the reason they saw him battling an alien in the first place. He and the monster girls were sitting on the couch as Ben's parents stood over them with folded arms, feeling small underneath their gaze.

"And Moka and Kurumu?" Asked Sandra, reminding Ben of the OTHER thing they saw.

"Oh yeah. Their monsters... not like the ones in the movies, their from a parallel world connected to our own, where they learn how to interact with humans as they hide in plain sight. They're good people" Ben said, explaining Moka's and Kurumu's status.

"We're sorry we lied to you, but you never would have believed us" said Moka, bowing.

"We won't do it again, we swear" said Kurumu, also bowing.

Neither Tennyson parent could deny Moka and Kurumu were good individuals, but that didn't mean they weren't excluded from being reprimanded. "And saving the earth became your jobs, WHEN?" Carl asked.

"It was when you met them, wasn't it?" Sandra said, jumping to conclusions. Sure, she loved those girls like daughters she never had... but her son was her top priority, he's still only human.

"Don't blame them mom, I didn't know them back then. It all happened 5 years ago during the summer with grandpa..." Ben started, but his dad jumped in.

"DAD?!... Of course, I should've known! That's so typical! Me and your uncle Frank knew he was more than a regular Plumber, and he lied to us for years!" Carl said, getting rightfully annoyed.

"It's our own fault, we were too permissive, and our only son is out there risking his life needlessly!" Said Sandra.

"Wait, you got it all wrong. Ben's not needlessly doing it, he NEEDS to do it!" Said Moka.

"If he doesn't, the whole universe along with yours and our world will be destroyed!" Said Kurumu.

"Besides even if I wanted to, the Omnitrix is attached to me... it doesn't come off" Ben explained. Ben's father took it the wrong way, taking it as a challenge.

"Oh don't worry; it WILL come off."

-TIME BREAK-

BUZZZZZZZZZ-SNAP!

Sawblade #22... denied.

After 2 hours of brute strength, pliers, saws, knifes and even a scissor... Carl was now convinced Ben wasn't being a rebellious teen, but rather telling the truth. "Ok... it's not coming off" he said, defeated.

"Told ya so. Even our Security Committee of High-Class monsters' couldn't confiscate it" said Kurumu. She and Moka were called in after Carl's failed brute force method, him asking to try and get it off themselves; but even their monster strength wasn't enough. Good thing his mom and dad didn't realize Inner Moka was a separate persona, she would NEVER take an order from a human, even if her softer side was living with them.

Speaking of Inner Moka, she has been listening to Ben allot though, whether its because she agreed with him at the time or set aside her pride for him wasn't very clear. Or maybe because since he was the only one who could free her, her honorable side felt like she owed him. She was a puzzle, unsolvable most of the time.

"Alright then; for now on, your forbidden from using the Omnitrix; understand?" Said Carl, starting to walk out of the workshop.

"Wait, Mister Tennyson!" Called Moka.

"The universe is counting on me and I..." Ben said, but a cold glare from his father stopped him.

"Understand?" He repeated, more sternly this time, then slammed the door and went back inside.

 **"That went well"** said Ben's vampiric mind and Moka's Rosario.

-TIME BREAK-

Laying on his bed, Ben was just chilling with his eyes closed. Kurumu and Moka were with him, since they shared the room (NOT the same bed, Ben's mom enforced this rule with an iron fist). Moka had an ice pack on Ben's black eye, though Kurumu had other ideas. Right as Moka took off the ice pack to give Ben's eye a break, the succubus flew over and...

SMOOSH!

"ACK! What the h-!" Said Ben, backing into his headboard. He went slightly buggy-eyed, as Kurumu was wearing her yellow bikini with ice in the cups... and with something poking them wasn't helping either... it wasn't the ice.

"Why settle for that old-school thing, when you can get one that's nice and soft?" She asked huskily.

"Kurumu, get off Ben! He's injured and I'm trying to take care of him" said Moka, trying to keep her voice down. Sandra told them no loud noises, she didn't want Ben in anymore trouble than he was now.

"Well, I am too" the succubus continued, she then crawled over to Ben VERY seductively. "There's nothing that a nice, cold ice pack to make the pain go away... right, Ben?" She said, now on top of him. Her face was a deep color of red, so was Ben's.

"Go ahead... pick one..." she said, dangling her 'ice packs' in front of his face.

RING! RING! RING!

"E-e-e-excuse me!" Said Ben; pushing Kurumu off by her stomach, reaching for his cell phone and walking up to his bedroom window. Hearts danced in Kurumu's eyes.

 _'He touched me, he REALLY touched me!'_ She thought, her belly was close enough for her it seemed... as well as for the fuming vampire, who had smoke come out of her ears.

"Hello?" Ben said, not noticing his the girls' starting to slap-fight.

"Yeah, hate to bother your and your mistress' beauty sleep, but we got a problem" came the voice of Kevin.

"You got a problem? My mom and dad found out about the watch. They saw us battling today, they won't let me use the Omnitrix" Ben said, still not noticing the 2 girls' now hair-pulling each other.

"Parental problems, eh? Rough dude... almost as rough as getting our asses handed to us BY THE DNALIENS!" Shouted Kevin's voice.

"Ok, ok; we're on the way" Ban said, hanging up and turning around... and sighed. "Can you guys knock it off?" The 2 monsters' stopped what they were doing, which was hitting each other with Ben's pillows, and blushed in embarrassment.

Eh, they can clean up the feathers when they get back.

-TIME BREAK-

Walking downstairs, Ben told his mom and dad that he was going to 'study' with Gwen. Moka and Kurumu even threw in the magic word 'physics', for extra incentive to allow them out. When the friends were a few houses away, Ben used the 'forbidden watch' to change into: "ECHO-ECHO!"

He felt bad about lying to his mom and dad AGAIN, but was there any other way? He was about to take off, when he noticed Kurumu and Moka trying to tell him something using gestures rather than words.

"What? Speak up guys, I can't..." that's all he managed to stay when a bright light appeared from behind him. _'Don't turn around, don't turn around'_ thought the white stereo.

"Benjamin. Kirby. Tennyson" said a stern, and very pissed female voice. Recognizing the voice and having no choice in the matter now... he slowly turned... to face his father holding a flashlight and his mother with her hands on her hips.

"Aw, man!" Whined Echo-Echo.

Needless to say, his mama and papa sent him back to his room, along with the 2 monsters'. Yes, she used the word monsters', the tone of her voice hit our favorite heroines hearts dead center. While back inside, the humans' parents started _the talk_... no, not THAT talk, the one about a bad crowd.

"What? No, mom" Ben answered.

"Are they telling you its 'cool' to turn into alien lifeforms behind your parents back?" Asked Carl.

"I want to know who this bad influence is, right now. Their parents need to know what's going on!" Said Sandra, giving Ben what he called: _The Mom Look_. Ben held his ground though, not wanting to share due to a 'sacred bond of trust'.

Ben's vampire self laughed loudly in his head as this was going on. **"HAHAHAHA! This is hilarious! Do these idiots actually HEAR themselves, like this is some normal everyday thing?"**

-TIME BREAK-

_The next day..._

"YOU RATTED ME OUT?!" Came the voice of Gwen over the house phone Ben had in his room when she called. Kurumu and Moka heard her too... and she wasn't on speaker phone either.

"I can explain!" Ben said.

"What's to explain? My parents gave me the riot act last night! _*starts imitating her fathers voice*_ Duh, how dare you help Ben deceive your aunt and uncle, young lady?" Said Gwen, since she's now grounded like Ben was.

Kurumu took the phone from Ben. "Your parents know your part alien though" said Kurumu, mentioning the story Ben told them when his grandmother came to visit them, who was an Anodite like Gwen.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Gwen yelled, making Kurumu cringe and move the phone away from her ear due to the volume of Gwen's voice. Ben gently took the phone back.

"I'm sorry. I had no choice" said Ben.

"No choice? Ben, you stared Vilgax down without blinking, and beat Animo without breaking a sweat" said Gwen.

"Because they didn't give me _The Mom Look_ , I'm sorry Gwen" Ben apologized.

"He did try his best though, his mom can be scarier than other me" said Moka.

Gwen just sighed. "I know, but now I'm grounded and can't leave the house. I'm stuck here, instead of out there figuring out what the Highbreed want with that freighter. At least my parents are letting me use the computer."

Ben then picked up a comic book. "Don't worry, Kevin's on it" he said, making the girls with him look up, Gwen to if she was there.

"You sent Kevin?" Asked Kurumu, dryly.

"Yeah" answered Ben.

"Alone?" Asked Gwen.

"Carl? You know where the house phone is?" Asked Sandra's voice from downstairs.

"Yeeeeeeah, I gotta go" said Ben, hanging up as he wasn't allowed a phone while he was grounded.

-TIME BREAK-

Later that night at the dinner table, the residents of the Tennyson household were eating... well dinner. Moka got up to get the house phone cause it was ringing. "Hello? Tennyson residence" asked Moka sweetly, then her eyes widened upon hearing who it was and when they asked for Ben. "Uh, Ben... it's for you."

Looking at his mom and dad first, they both nodded. "Make it quick" said Carl, in a stern tone. Ben got up and took the phone from Moka, he touched her hand in the process, but he was oblivious to it... the vampire blushed, and it wasn't unnoticed by the succubus.

"Hello?" Ben responded to the caller.

"Yeah, it's me" said...

"Kevin... this ISN'T a good time!" Ben whispered. "Your telling me, I'm up to my nose in goop inside a boat and DNAliens' are coming!" Said Kevin.

Ben thought quickly, he needed an excuse to stay on the line. "Oh sorry, Kev. I'm not a computer right now, I'll conference Gwen in."

RING! RING!

"Hello?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah so, I'm stuck in a tank full of Stinkfly's snot and can't get out" said Kevin.

"Kevin? Is that you?" Asked Gwen. "No, it's Pinocchio" Kevin answered.

"Just absorb something and bust outta there" Ben said.

"What? Stink?" Asked Kevin.

"Your phone, you idiot!" Said Ben.

"Why? It's made out of titanium and... oooooooh" Kevin realized.

"Carl, get him off the phone" Sandra told her husband. He was about too but as he was getting up, he caught the eyes of Kurumu and felt... strange. Attempting to buy Ben some time, Kurumu Charmed Carl using her powers... she felt bad about it, but Ben's tone told her this was serious, so she felt as she had no choice.

"Carl?... Carl!" Asked Sandra, seeing that her husband didn't make any more moves, then started waving a hand and snapping her fingers in his face; but he appeared to be in a trace of some sort.

"Hey guys, I think I figured out what Kevin might be swimming in. On Wikipedia, it says that station only exports... bat guano" said Gwen.

BANG!

Hearing that, Kevin burst out of the hull of the ship with a punch after absorbing matter from his phone. He felt disgusted hearing what Gwen said, it sounded like something from his childhood, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"A) What is guano? And B) Why does that sound familiar from a 1995 movie?" He asked.

"Its poop. There was some nuke testing there years ago, and the berries the bats eat..." Gwen started.

"Nevermind, I don't wanna know... and I'm gonna need a chemical bath" Kevin cut her off, not wanting to hear the rest of the explanation. He then heard screeching from DNAliens. "Uh... I'm gonna need some help out here..." Kevin asked, but then heard the sound of the line being cut. "Guys?" Kevin asked.

"I'm still here" said Gwen.

"What about Ben?" Kevin asked again.

In the Tennyson house, Ben felt the phone slip out if his grasp, being grabbed by his mother. Behind him, Carl was holding his head a bit as if feeling woozy (though Ben could guess what and who could've caused that), and his mom directly behind him.

"No phone, means no phone. Go to your room!" Said Sandra, then she turned to Kurumu. "And you, young lady! I don't know what you did to my husband or how, but I won't have it in my house!"

The blue-haired monster and the green-clothed human left the kitchen, following Mrs. Tennyson's command. When they were gone, Sandra spoke to Moka. "And Moka, help us clean up" she ordered, as Carl began to slowly recover.

 **"Maybe your right, she can be scary"** Inner Moka commented to Outer Moka.

-TIME BREAK-

In Ben's room, Kevin managed to video call Ben on his bedroom computer. He wasn't allowed to use his computer, but seeing as Moka was helping his mom and dad clean up and Kurumu was with him, maybe they could get away with this.

"Oh, you found a wireless network" said Ben, with Kurumu leaning from his right shoulder to see Kevin on the screen.

"Yeah... and their not happy about it" said Kevin, turning the phone so Ben and Kurumu could see several DNAliens chasing Kevin. Both Ben and Kurumu started giving Kevin commands, almost like a special campaign mission on _Call of Duty_ or leading survivors to objectives in _Alien: Blackout_.

 **Kurumu:** Ladder! Climb that ladder!

 **Kevin:** Kay, now what?

 **Ben:** Take that hatch to your left and close it, let them pass.

Its silent for a few seconds, aside from DNAliens shrieking. "What's going on, you guys playing a game?" Asked Moka, who just walked in the room, but Kurumu sharply turned her head and gave Moka a 'shhhh!' gesture. Looking from Ben's left shoulder, she then understood why.

 **Kevin:** ... Not bad. Your like a regular navigation device.

 **Moka:** Kevin! More are coming!

 **Kevin:** I see them!

 **Ben:** Use that crane, kick the green button and jump for it!

 **Kevin:** WHOOOOOOOA!... Not gonna lie, that was pretty c-...

Kevin was suddenly grabbed by something, causing him to drop his phone in the process. Ben, Moka and Kurumu all saw a Highbreed had caught Kevin; the same one they fought the other night. "How nice of you to join us, vermin" said the Highbreed.

"Uh, Ben... girls... a little help here..." said Kevin, looking down at the phone.

_*Buzzzzt!*_

Until the plug was pulled... literally. The cord was being held by Carl, who was also joined by his wife. "Dad, NO!" Exclaimed Ben.

"Don't you _no_ me, Ben Tennyson. You have defied us for the last time... and I don't appreciate being manipulated by your friend either" said Carl.

"Look, you've GOT to listen to me! This isn't just a game or a fanfic written by someone, my friend is in danger... REAL danger!" Said Ben, starting to get a little irritated by his parents' actions. He got they were trying to protect him, but he was trying to protect someone else and his only link to him was just cut off.

"Mister and Misses Tennyson, I get you want to protect Ben. But he needs to protect everyone else" said Moka.

"This is a matter of life and death for everyone!" Said Kurumu.

"The ONLY lives we're concerned about are yours" said Carl.

"I don't care if you can turn into alien creatures, or if you both are monsters'. While your in this house, you'll abide by our rules. So until we say otherwise; your not calling, texting, Tok-Tiking, My-Facing or Insta-Snapping anyone!" Said Sandra.

All 3 teens just looked at each other in confusion in Sandra's choice of words.

"Tok-Tiking?" Asked Ben, looking at Moka and Kurumu.

"My-Facing?" Asked Moka, looking at Kurumu and Ben.

"Intsa-Snapping?" Asked Kurumu, looking at Ben and Moka. It took each of the a few seconds to realize Sandra was mentioning various social media outlets... just getting the names wrong.

 **"Who the FUCK uses FACEBOOK anymore?! Let alone MySpace! It's all about them Instagram Models, Snap-Thots and Tiktok E-Boys!"** Vampire Ben commented.

Ben just looked outside his window for a quick second, before making a decision that would most likely backfire... but it was the right thing to do.

"... You wanna protect me and my friends, I get it. That's your job as parents" said Ben in a soft tone, also getting Ben's parents' eyes to soften as well. "Your both awesome parents, and you wanna do what's best for me... but this isn't something normal. You raised me by example, by you always putting others before yourselves" he continued, which caused Kurumu and Moka to react the same way as Ben's parents. It made sense, considering everything Ben had done not only for the monster world, but perhaps countless other lives as well.

"But in order to do just that... I have to disobey you now, even though you and Grandpa Max have taught me about responsibility and caring for others..." Ben began to bring up his watch. Sandra gave _The Mom Look_ again.

"Benjamin, put that thing dow-" she didn't get to finish due to Ben continuing.

"I didn't ask for this power... it was given to me, and I can't turn away knowing someone's in danger" Ben ignored the scowl from his mother and turned on the Omnitrix, scrolling through it.

"Ben. If you don't turn off that watch right now...!" Carl started, but once again Ben just continued.

"Punish me however you want, but right now... my friend... and the world needs me! Because I'm the ONLY one who can save it!" And with that final line of dialog...

FLASH!

"XLR8!"

SHATTER!

After transforming, Ben/XLR8 jumped out his bedroom window. "... Uh... I'll fix that when I get back" said the blue speedster, realizing what he did and taking off down the street.

"BEN! Wait for us!" Called Kurumu, releasing her wings and tail, flying after the alien raptor.

"Sorry, but we have to go" said Moka, bowing after exiting the hole XLR8 made, and running after her friends.

"... I can't believe it, he just walked out on us. I'm calling the police" said Sandra.

"And tell them what? That our son transformed into an alien to go out for a run?" Carl 'asked' his wife.

"Then what are gonna do?" Sandra asked, not knowing what else to do.

"I think its best... if we listen to our son" said Carl, defeated. Like it or not, their son was right. They raised him a certain way, and they were going back on their teachings just to try and keep him safe... when countless others were depending on him.

He really was growing up...

-TIME BREAK-

Kurumu had to carry Moka all the way to the docks, since XLR8 wasn't gonna stop for them and the monsters' have a feeling that's where he was going. Their suspicions were proven true when he showed up... but ran past them and across the water. "BEN!" They both called to him.

Surprisingly, he must have heard them because he came back in a blur, then dropped his visor. "Oh right, forgot" XLR8 said, sounding irritated. This was understandable as he had to disobey his parents to help someone, and it clearly had an effect on his mood. His hands reached for...

FLASH!

And pulling off Moka's Rosario. "Now lets go!" He said, rushing off across the water again. Having no choice, Kurumu had to carry Inner Moka and follow XLR8 again.

Out in the ocean, the freighter Ben's team was after was sailing along the calm, cool night waters... well, they were calm until XLR8 disturbed them and jumped onto the deck. The DNAliens on board tried to contain this breaching Dino, but he just sped around them, also knocking them down with his speed and/or his tail. Reinforcements arrived armed with laser guns, but Kurumu and Inner Moka stopped the attempted assault by 'dropping in'. Kurumu let go of Inner Moka so she sailed straight for a DNAlien and knocked it down with a kick, and Kurumu got to kick one in the head...

That's all they were able to do since XLR8 finished the job, not giving them a chance to fight at all.

"You guys picked the wrong dinosaur to gang up on, I'm having a VERY bad night" said the blue/black raptor, his statement directed towards the fallen DNAliens. Changing himself into Humungousaur using his Omnitrix symbol, he began stomping off. Both Kurumu and Inner Moka were shocked, he's definitely not a happy camper right now... he didn't even say his alien forms name this time!

 **"Why'd you change into this big lug? How's about you select me and..."** the Omnitrix-stored vampire asked. "Shut... Up." Humungousaur growled at his emblem, not in the mood for his shenanigans.

Inside the ship, Kevin was dangling from the ceiling by red vine-like cable while imprisoned in green stuffing, which was the bat guano... gross. "This stinks" he said.

"Your not the first to taste defeat at my hand, nor the last" said the Highbreed.

"I meant the bat poop... I can't believe you eat this stuff" Kevin joked.

"We do NOT. Eat it" said the Highbreed, putting his hands on his hips.

"Why else would ya collect so much? Besides, it can be made into homemade bowls... make a whole set!" Kevin continued.

"Tennyson has trained you well... but your foolish attempt to learn our true plan has lead to your disposal..." said the Highbreed, pulling Kevin towards him with his right hand, and raised his left one to strike him...

WHAM!

"GAH!" He was then hit by a DNAlien flying at his chest, falling off the catwalk he was also standing on.

"Sorry I'm late. I was taking a refreshing swim" said Humungousaur.

"I thought you got sent to your room without supper" said Kevin, surprised but thankful that Ben was here.

"He did, but he's probably getting grounded for the rest of his life, now hold still" said Kurumu, flying up to Kevin.

"Does it LOOK like I'm going anywhere?" Asked Kevin, but the succubus ignored him and sliced him free.

 **"So what exactly are they doing with all the shit?"** Asked Inner Moka. To think these are the everyday 'enemies' her American friend battled back in the day.

"What their doing, is removing the impurities, so their left with a volatile isotope as a power source" said Humungousaur, stunning the others.

"Wow, you figured that out by yourself?" Asked Kevin.

"Gwen actually, but the real question is: a power source... for what?" Said Humungousaur.

"It's a surprise, for the entire human race! DESTROY THEM!" Commanded the Highbreed, recovering from the impact earlier. Every DNAlien aboard surrounded the group, trying to carry out the order of their leader. With Inner Moka's strength, Kurumu's flying skills and Kevin's metal absorption combined with Humungousaur's power; the DNAliens were no match.

The Highbreed tried to knock out the brown dinosaur using one of his soldiers that fell off the railing, but it missed.

Jumping over the metal bars, Humungousaur chased after his attacker. This Highbreed didn't like to play fair, and sucker-punched our prehistoric hero in the chest with surprising power, breaking some steel pipes as he rolled on the cold metal floor.

"You may wanna put some size on" said Kevin, he and the girls managed to fight off the rest of the minions.

"Ugh, unless you want me to sink the ship... not enough room" said the pained dinosaur. The Highbreed began to approach the trapped giant. The others tried to get to him, but more DNAliens arrived and held them back.

 **"UGH! They're like... cockroaches"** snapped Inner Moka.

"Seriously, where do they get all these guys?" Asked Kurumu, though it was a rhetorical question.

"Have you checked under any rocks lately?" Answered Kevin.

 **"See? THIS is why you should have picked me. Now I gotta save your sorry ass again"** said Ben's vampire. Then, Humungousaur's Omnitrix symbol glowed with dark green light. Now aware of what is happening unlike back on Turrawuste, he actually FELT the power pour into him. He lunged at the Highbreed, ignoring the flood of guano from behind them, and pinned it down to the ground with little effort. The Highbreed was clever, and used his legs to kick the powered-up Vaxsaurian into a steel door.

Then it opened...

PEW!

A blast of energy with enough power to fling the Highbreed backward and into the air, crashing behind a central until that had multiple tanks of liquid guano.

 **?:** Good shot, honey!

 **?:** Like dad always said, right tool for the right job.

"Mom? Dad?" Asked Humungousaur. He turned his head to see the 2 people he didn't expect to see until he got home. It was Sandra and Carl, who was holding something that looked like a modified sniper rifle; it looked really badass too.

"Ben! Are you ok?" Asked Sandra, kneeling down to her son's head. Humungousaur sat up.

"I-I'm fine, not the first time I've been knocked around" he said, smiling.

 **?:** Uh, excuse us?

The Tennyson family looked up to the catwalks own hearing that voice

 **?:** Hate to break up your family reunion, but we need some help.

**?: We? More like you clowns.**

Those were the voices of Kevin, Kurumu and Inner Moka in that order. They were dogpiled in 3 separate groups by leftover DNAliens, the latter vampire simply freed herself via her vampiric strength... it was too quick to see how she managed to do it though. She landed in front of the recovering alien dinosaur gracefully.

"Moka? You look... different" said Sandra, clearly taking notice of Moka's appearance... and completely different behavior. "And aren't you his ruffian friend?" She continued, not referring to Kurumu.

"I got it covered, dear" said Carl, aiming his weapon. The DNAliens scurried off like frightened mice the second they noticed they were in the weapons line of fire.

"Thank you, love you guys!" Said Kurumu.

"Nice piece by the way, Mister Tennyson" said Kevin.

"Yeah dad, where'd ya get that from?" Asked the Tennyson son.

"What, this old thing? Been sitting in the attic for years... never liked it" said Carl.

"We were so worried Ben" said Sandra, hugging her son the best she could.

"Yeah... I'm sorry I blew you guys off like that" said Humungousaur.

"I'm not, it was cool how you showed up when ya did. I'd probably be guano juice by now" said Kevin.

"Yes... it was very cool. You did what you had to do, we're proud of you. Your friend was in trouble and you had to help him" said Sandra, kissing her son on the chin, since that was the only part of his face that she could reach.

"His friend? Honey, he just saved hundreds, if not THOUSANDS of lives. Ben, Kurumu and Moka saved the entire world!" Said Carl.

"Hey, I helped too" said Kevin.

"The point is son, we've seen you and your friends in action; you clearly know what your doing" Carl continued.

"We're sure you would've found a way to win, even if your father didn't come with the space bazooka" sais Sandra.

"How touching..." came the voice of the Highbreed, coming over for around round.

 **"You've already lost... now learn your PLACE!"** Said Inner Moka, kicking the alien with all her might. Surprisingly, he just slid across the floor and into the wall below the tank of green goo. He did appear to be in pain from the kick, but he got up relatively quickly.

"The only one who will learn there place, is you!" Said the Highbreed, running toward the group. Carl ran up with his, as his wife called it, space bazooka, and aimed at the Highbreed again. Bracing for impact, the Highbreed shielded itself as the barrel of the gun lit up...

...

...

TICK!

Crap, outta juice. Now seeing it was safe to attack, the Highbreed lunged at the group. Humungousaur grabbed ahold of Carl's weapon and said: "Here comes the pitch..."

BANG!

SHATTER!

And the Highbreed went sailing through the air as Humungousaur hit him with the 'space bazooka' like a makeshift baseball bat. He hit the tank, spilling all the hard earned shit all over the floor. Both father and son put they're left hands over their heads, Inner Moka just pouted.

 **Humungousaur** : Outta the park.

 **Carl** : Nice.

 **Inner Moka** : **... I could've done that.**

-TIME BREAK-

Kurumu was flying and carrying Kevin back to the docks where everyone was waiting for them to return from the ship. Once they landed, "Ok... B-3" said Kurumu, pointing to the ship with a nail. No sooner did she say that...

KA-BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The freighter blew up from an explosion from the dead center of the ship, tearing it in half and sinking it. "Sunk it" answered Kevin. The reason they stayed behind was to get rid of the large boat.

"Uh.. where's the Highbreed? You were supposed to drag him off the ship while the rest of us looked for any leftover DNAliens" Ben asked the duo.

"He was gone before we got back in" said Kurumu.

They then looked back at the unconscious humans that were in a large group, Ben having used his Omnitrix to get rid of the DNAlien reprogramming on them. "A least we got the town and some people saved" said Ben.

 **"I suppose I should get back in the seal and let the other Moka take her place in the world"** said Inner Moka.

"Other Moka?" Questioned by Tennyson parents as Inner Moka brought the Rosario to her choker.

Inner Moka just smirked at them. **"I'm sure Ben would be GLAD to tell you everything. I'll see ya later"** and with that, Inner Moka placed her Rosario back around her neck, and Outer Moka returned in all her pink-haired glory while falling back into Ben, apparently exhausted. If Sandra and Carl weren't surprised and confused before, they sure were now.

"Eh... long story" said Ben.

-TIME BREAK-

Now back home safe and sound, and with trust fully restored, the family sat in the living room watching Carl remove a giant dreamcatcher... for the space bazooka.

"I thought you said you hated that thing" said Ben.

"I did. I hated all that Plumber stuff... reminded me of the secret double life your grandfather hid from us. Now; I get he was only protecting us... just like you three were" said Carl.

"We're sorry we overacted. It's just like Ben, we've come to love you as you were one of our own" said Sandra.

"That's very sweet of you, Misses Tennyson. And we're sorry we never told you the whole truth either" said Moka.

"Don't worry about it, my mom's worse. She's not the honest type, especially when it comes to enslaving men. I never got to know who my real farther was" said Kurumu, making Ben's parents go wide-eyed. "Uh... not that I'd ever do that to your husband or Ben. Besides, Ben is my Mate of Fate, so there's no need!" She said, not wanting Ben's parents to get the wrong idea.

"Mate of Fate?" Asked Carl, as he was never home when Kurumu would rant about her destiny to be with Ben.

"I'll tell you later, dear" Sandra mouthed to her husband.

Then, Ben's phone rang, which was in Sandra's purse due to taking it away from Ben. She got it out and looked at the Caller ID. "It's your cousin" she said, handing the phone to Ben.

"Gwen? Whats up?... Uh, I've have to call you back" said Ben, hanging up and looking at his parents. "Soooooo, there's been an alien sighting in the desert out of town and..." Ben was saying.

"Then what are you all standing around here for?" Asked Carl, cutting Ben off and looking at the teens with a smile.

"Go get'em, heroes!" Said Sandra, also smiling at them. Returning with a smile of his own, Ben and his 2 monster friends ran out the door.

With confident smiles: Kurumu grew her claws, wings and tail; taking flight, and Ben pulled Moka's Rosario, releasing Inner Moka. Ben himself...

"It's HERO TIME!"

FLASH!


	10. Chapter 10

While Ben, Moka, and Kurumu were hanging out in Ben's room; Gwen had come over, telling them about a message she had gotten. Before she could actually tell about it or whom it was from, a hologram via Gwen's magic had appeared... it was a female-looking XLR8, much to the confusion of the monsters'. Ben said her name was Helen Wheels (which Vampire Ben called out the pun, "hell on wheels"), and she was an ally. She was in the Null Void, and was calling for help, so Ben took it upon himself to see what was up.

"So what's the cable for?" Asked Kurumu.

"Beats me. Didn't need this last time I went inside" Ben answered, putting on same kind of jetpack.

"Because last time you had an RV with state of the art Plumber gear" Kevin commented while tinkering with the machine that was attached to the cable like the ones tow trucks use.

"Which you rebuilt and sold after it was trashed by Eon" Ben snapped.

"The point is, this cable is the only thing..." Gwen started to say, attaching the cable to the jetpack.

"For the last time, its not a cable. Its a Plumber Snake. An unbreakable pan-dimensional retrieval system, able to extend at least halfway around the globe, which your lucky I happen to have" said Kevin, again explaining what the piece of tech was.

 **"We've got one that can go that far..."** Vampire Ben commented with a sly grin.

 _'Do you have to comment on EVERYTHING?'_ Ben mentally sighed as he asked his vampiric self. **"How else will I pass the time?"** He answered.

Gwen had opened a special portal that was able to bring Ben to the vicinity Helen was at, but not her exact location. After about maybe 8 minutes of Ben being in there, the cable fell for some strange reason. Upon Kevin reeling it in, it was shown that it was severed, with bits of wire sticking out. So much for "unbreakable"...

Seeing this, Moka jumped through the portal Gwen had made, taking the broken tether with her. She figured if she could find Ben, she could bring them both back to Earth.

( **AN:** Theme Song.)

**Chapter 6: Into the Null Void + Vampire**

Moka had arrived within the Null Void, but had no idea which way to go. That, and there didn't seem to be a sense of gravity here because she was flailing like a fish out of water. She saw/heard some floating rocks shatter in the distance, and figured that might be where Ben was. As a rock floated past her, she kicked off of it a little clumsily (as she was nowhere near the level of her other self), but it had the desired effect and allowed her to maneuver somewhat.

In the distance; Helen and Manny (her Tetramand friend) were fighting someone they called D'Void, though Ben recognized him as his first major enemy: Dr. Animo. He was currently surrounded by Null Guardians, which looked like Wildmutts but they had bat-like wings on their backs, and several tentacles hanging from where their feet would normally be. Ben figured Animo must somehow be controlling the Null Guardians like how he could control animals.

As he was cycling through the Omnitrix to find the appropriate alien (though _one_ kept nagging him to be released), Animo/D'Void had gotten ahold of Manny and Helen using pure strength, something he didn't have before. Now that Ben got a better look at him, he was a more muscular than the last time they tangled. It was also around this time Moka had shown up, and the first thing she saw was a skinny Fourarms... and XLR8? Wait, that didn't make any sense. Ben can't be 2 aliens at once... and wasn't the SOS message from an XLR8?

"Tell me, Helper; where can I find The Wrench?" Asked Animo. Hearing his voice sent shivers down Moka's spine. It reminded her of Kuyo in allot of ways... And were those flying Wildmutts?!

Both the XLR8 (Helen) and Fourarms (Manny) struggled in his grasp, but the animal doctor refused to let go. "Doesn't matter what you do, D'Void! We'll never betray The Wrench!" Manny stubbornly denied him.

It was here that Dr. Animo smirked and held out Helen a bit further away from him. "Perhaps _you'll_ be willing to cooperate..." he began while speaking to Helen and for some reason, the flying Wildmutts' mouths began salivating. "After my pets play tug-of-war with your boyfriend" Animo finished.

Both Moka and Helen were shocked. "NO!" Cried Helen, but Animo threw Manny away with little effort, and the flying Wildmutts flew after him as if fetching a chew toy for their master. As they gave chase, one of the Null Guardians caught a whiff of Moka's life energy (as that's how they 'see' things), and roared in her direction before going for her. Her eyes widened, and pushed herself off the rock she was just on to get away from it.

In the process, the Null Guardian tried taking a bite out of Moka, only for it to snap the cord of the Plumber Snake in its teeth. This caught Animo's attention. "What's this? Another Helper?" He said, seeing one of his pets go after Moka. As he was focused on Moka now, he didn't see that the pack he sent after Manny had been electrocuted and started flying away, whimpering like the dog-based lifeforms they were. "Who dares defy D'Void?" Animo asked, as his 'pets' flew past him.

"That would be me, miscreant" said Brainstorm, the alien Ben ended up choosing. He sent Manny down on a rock they floated too, then Brainstorm leapped at Animo. The Cerebrocustacean locked Animo's wrists in place with his pincers, but Animo was proving to be quite physically strong and was able to hold Brainstorm back.

"A fourth Helper of The Wrench? Where do you all come from?" Asked Animo.

"Fourth?... Dr. Animo, did you skip elementary school...?" Brainstorm was asking while taunting Animo, but that's when he heard screaming. Looking behind him at the source of the sound, he saw jumping clumsily going from rock-to-rock was... "Moka?!" Asked Brainstorm out loud, seeing her getting chasing by a leftover Null Guardian. What was she doing here? Seeing Brainstorm was distracted, Animo swung one of his legs back.

 **"On your six!"** Vampire Ben warned Brainstorm.

 _'Vampire Me, on you six is a term that means: watch your back. That makes no sense considering...'_ Brainstorm was telling Vampire Ben, taking the logical standpoint, which left him wide open to Animo's kick to his small body and grunting in pain. It wasn't close to being as deadly as Inner Moka's, but it got the job done by catching Brainstorm off guard and sending him hurling into a floating rock. He landed flat on his back.

Vampire Ben facepalmed. **"You should have named him, Over-Think"** he commented, dryly.

 _'I would appreciate it greatly, if you would just quash your opinions'_ Brainstorm thought back in return. As they finished that short argument, Brainstorm turned his attention up towards Moka, who was still being chased. She got cornered in-between floating rocks with the Null Guardian in front of her, cutting off her escape. After rolling over on his side, he shot lightning from his brain, which struck the Null Guardian and paralyzed it. It of course, roared in pain as electricity flowed through its body, giving Moka enough time to get away from it.

"Ben! Are you ok?" Moka asked as she landed next to Brainstorm, who began to fully recover and stand back up. Animo however, wouldn't give these interlopers a chance to retaliate.

"Get them!" Animo ordered while pointing at Brainstorm and Moka, as more Null Guardians seemed to appear out of nowhere to carry out this command. Seeing this, Brainstorm shook off whatever funk he was in and began to stand.

"Moka, stay behind..." Brainstorm said. But his right pincer got caught on one of the edges of Moka's Rosario and it snapped off, falling on the rock they were on. "... Oh dear" he said, and just as the Null Guardians' closed in...

FLASH!

With Moka's unsealed energy being uncontrollably released, the Null Guardians immediately backed off just like the Dravek from Turrawuste, only they were more vocal about it by screeching nervously and flying away quickly. The intensity of Inner Moka's awakening overloaded their senses and caused them to panic. Manny stared up as he fully recovered, and Helen even stopped struggling in Animo's grasp as this occurred... neither human-alien hybrid had EVER seen anything like this before.

( **AN:** Inner Moka's theme.)

 _When the rosary seal over her breast is removed, Moka's innocent self vanishes, and her inner vampire... awakens._ Every person except for Brainstorm just stared... how did this random girl just transform herself like that? She more sensual in appearance... and something about those eyes just screamed: 'don't mess with me'.

"So, you can transform... haven't seen that in 5 years" said Animo, reminiscing briefly about his encounters with this one kid who could turn into aliens. He then looked around, and saw the Null Guardians hiding behind some rocks... what was with them? "What are you waiting for? I said get them!" Animo repeated his previous order. It was clear the guardians wanted nothing to do with Inner Moka, her energy signature freaked them out, but they did so obediently.

Inner Moka was gone the second they got too close.

POW!

And kicked one of them right in the face, sending it flying uncontrollably through the space and into a few rocks. In a blur, going from rock-to-rock, Inner Moka continued attacking each and every Null Guardian with one deadly kick after another. One Null Guardian managed to bind Inner Moka with its tentacles, but that's as far as its luck went as she just rolled forward and the Null Guardian was slamming into a rock, bits of it going in every direction. Inner Moka was able to accomplish this due to the Null Voids lack of conventional gravity. This particular guardian was also knocked unconscious as a result.

"What kinda alien freak is she?" Manny asked, both impressed and scared at Inner Moka's strength.

"Normally, she's very timid but on occasion... does come out of her shell" Brainstorm said, which then caused Vampire Ben to laugh loudly in his brain. **"HAAAAAAAAA, HAHAHAHAAAAAAA! That's rich! I gotta write that one down."**

All Null Guardians were now either kicked away, or simply fled the scene altogether, regardless if Animo was their master or not. Speaking of Animo, that was Inner Moka's next target. She leapt at Animo to give him a well-deserved kick, but much to her surprise, Animo caught her by the leg she was using and threw her aside towards a rock. Inner Moka did a 180 in midair and pushed off the rock she was going for with her powerful legs.

She flew at Animo again, and got him right in the gut, causing him to hunch over and drop Helen, who landed on a rock and started catching her breath while holding her neck since Animo had a firm grip on it. With a second kick, Animo was sent soaring through 2 rocks before crashing into the third. After a second, Animo began to recover and get back up, leering at this new girl. Who was she? What was she? How was she so strong?

Inner Moka went after Animo a third time, but then froze before grabbing her head in pain with her mouth open. It was Animo using his powers to try and control her. "MOKA!" Said Brainstorm, his head opening to zap Animo where it hurt... but something stopped him. It was Moka's Rosario in his pincer... its jewel was glowing.

 _'Odd... Moka's rosary appears to be reacting to... something?'_ Brainstorm thought to himself, but even to him, this didn't make any sense! She was already released, so why was it shining again?

As Animo was fighting Inner Moka for control of her mind, he saw a few things flip by: her group of 'friends' from Yokai Academy, a familiar green-eyed teen, a castle-like school, a woman who looked to be an older version of her...

 **?:** SCREEEEEEEEEEECH!

Out of nowhere, a huge demonic face appeared in Animo's minds eye, roaring at him menacingly. This forced Animo to widen his eyes, and the connection was immediately cut off the second he saw it, grabbing his own head in pain as Inner Moka was. Groaning, he looked back at Inner Moka. "Nrgh... what... creature... are you?" He asked as he began to lower his hand off his face.

No one saw this; but a mirage of a monstrous being wrapped around Inner Moka in a seemingly protective embrace, akin to a snake. It gave a growl, then a soft hiss, showing off a mouth full of sharp fangs... as if daring the crazed doctor to try his trick on the vampire again.

"Ok, we're going now!" Said Helen, grabbing the somewhat-dazed Inner Moka and dashing off by using the floating rocks that weren't destroyed in this battle.

 **"Ugh... put me... down"** Inner Moka uttered out, still a bit hazed by Animo's mental attack; but Helen didn't listen and kept moving. Manny and Brainstorm followed them as the girls fled.

"It's difficult to believe, but Moka's kicks didn't do as much damage as they should" Brainstorm commented.

"Like I said, no one beats D'Void" said Manny.

Animo finally got a grip on himself. "So... a Helper knows my true name, and another has a power unlike anything I've ever seen" Animo said thinking to himself, having not heard Moka call out Ben's name previously. He decided to head back to his headquarters, seeing as those 4 Helpers had gotten away.

-TIME BREAK-

At a "farm" of some kind, there were 2 blue aliens that gave 2 Null Guardians' supplies. One took a large wagon, the other took the younger-looking of the 2 aliens.

"No! Not my son! I've given you everything you've asked!" The older blue alien cried, but the Null Guardians just flew off, ignoring the fathers plead. He slumped to his knees and began crying. Ben, Inner Moka, Helen and Manny watched from inside a hut; and of course Ben and Inner Moka wanted to do something, but Manny said there was nothing they could do.

Ben also noticed Manny lost a hand, which was replaced by a robotic arm... had Animo really gotten that strong?

After being allowed a minute to himself, the farmer explained that while the Null Void was a prison as Ben had originally thought, this particular space was a pocket dimension made by the Galvans to banish criminals from the universe. In fact, there was one prisoner that came recently that looked allot like Ben...

Outside of the ACTUAL prison was this small penal colony made thousands of years ago, which allowed some criminals to start over. However, other alien species eventually discovered this dimensional space and sent their own lawbreakers here as well. Thankfully, the Galvans already foresaw that problem, and created the Null Guardians (which Inner Moka correctly assumed were the bat-like Wildmutts) to keep things under control by protecting the weaker criminals from the stronger ones.

Eventually; D'Void/Animo showed up and somehow took control of the Null Guardians, completely breaking the system the Galvans had in place, and forced everyone to mine a material called: Kormite. For what reason, they didn't know.

"Listen. I've tangled with _D'Void_ before... his real name is Doctor Aloysius Animo, and he has the power to control animals... guess it works on those Null Guardians too" Ben said, telling them all who D'Void really was and putting his name in quotation marks.

Hearing this, Inner Moka's eyes widened a bit. Gwen had mentioned Animo when she and Ben got grounded, as well as Ben telling them about his adventures back at school, but didn't think he was that tough! He smelled completely human, yet he had this special ability, which she realized was that strange feeling she felt in her head when she was fighting him. Thankfully, it didn't work on monsters' apparently. Or at least an S-Class one like herself.

"YOU fought D'Void? And survived?" Asked Manny with doubt in his voice.

"Survive? I've won. Plenty of times. Crazy strong and invulnerable?... That's new" said Ben.

"Ok. So you take us back to Earth like you said you could, we load up on gear, get some reinforcements, and shut down this Animo guy for good!" Said Manny, now sounding hopeful.

"I can't. The cable connecting me broke, me and my friend Moka are all you got" said Ben.

"Great! That's just fan-tastic! Some savoir you are, you can't even save yourself!" Snapped Manny, now berating Ben. Ben of course, frowned when Manny said this, but hearing it set Inner Moka off.

 **"Listen, you four-armed ogre..."** she growled, getting right in Manny's face and flaring her monster energy. Admittedly, Manny got a little nervous, and so did Helen as she bolted in-between them to break them up before Inner Moka kicked Manny to the end of the Null Void... if there was one.

"Settle down. Our fights with D'Void, not each other. If Ben has fought D'Void before, he's our best chance at beating him... but its not for us to decide" said Helen, agreeing with Inner Moka, but the final decision wasn't up to her.

 **"Let me guess? This Wrench guy?"** Asked Inner Moka. The silence of the female XLR8 and male Fourarms spoke volumes to Inner Moka and Ben.

"If me and Moka are stuck here anyway, take us to him" said Ben.

-TIME BREAK-

 **"You live in a canyon?"** Inner Moka asked Manny, using the same tone she used on him before.

"WE live wherever, HE lives here" Manny clarified.

"Helen! Manny! What are you doing?" Came a voice out of nowhere. Looking up, the group saw a boy flying in the air using the same jetpack that Ben had on. This boy was a teenager like the rest of them, though he appeared more human than Helen or Manny did. He had 8 spikes on his face (3 on each of his cheeks and 1 on each side of his forehead), and black hair with a wide streak of white. He was also wearing a short-sleeved green/black jumpsuit with matching black wristbands and green/black combat boots.

"How could you bring not one, but two outsiders here? Nobody gets to see The Wrench. Nobody!" Said the boy. Inner Moka wasn't too impressed by him. Who was he supposed to be? Argit's bother?

"They're friends, Pierce. Ben, and his friend Moka. He's the reason we came to the Null Void to find you" said Helen. It was here Inner Moka cocked an eyebrow. His name was Pierce?... What a fitting name.

"Maybe... or he's a shapeshifter showing what you want to see" Pierce argued.

 **"Well, he's not wrong there..."** said Vampire Ben, finding humor in Pierce's statement, but Ben just ignored him.

"Look, if your here to escort me to see your boss, fine" said Ben, stepping forward.

 **"Or you can kindly buzz off, and we'll just let ourselves in"** said Inner Moka, stepping forward herself. She didn't know why but for some reason lately, she's had this strange urge to protect Ben. Maybe because Outer liked him and hated the thought of harm coming to the human?... Yeah, probably.

Pierce didn't like that girls tone, nor the smart-ass answer the stranger gave. "The only way to find him is through here..." Pierce began, then he flew down gently. "And through me" he finished in a threatening tone. Friends of Helen or not, he wouldn't allow anyone to see The Wrench.

"Fine by me" said Ben, agreeing to the terms. Looks like he had to fight his way through. As he took steps towards Pierce, both he and the quill-faced humanoid took off they're jetpacks and set them down. "Some fight. Your a walking pincushion; but I'm empty-handed" Ben said, which got Inner Moka to cock an eyebrow again. He wasn't going to use the Omnitrix? Why the hell not?! Was it dead?... Unlikely. She saw it was still green-lit due to it poking out of his sleeve. But even if she couldn't, he only used a single transformation, and it was in use for nowhere near 10 minutes.

Despite his rash attitude, Pierce seemed to have a sense of honor. For the second Ben stated he was empty, Pierce held up his elbow (which had 3 more spikes), and one of them grew out. He snapped it off, though another one grew back immediately to replace it. He tossed it to Ben, giving the green-eyed teen a makeshift sword.

"Heh. One spike against 299 more... your a real sport, Pierce" Ben cracked a joke as he caught the spike, but he was surprised to see Inner Moka walk up and take a stand next to him.

 **"Don't get the wrong idea, I just wanna get outta here"** Inner Moka stated before Ben could utter a word out of his open mouth. Don't get her wrong, she knew Ben could fight on his own. He did deny Saizou without transforming when they first encountered him, and according to Kurumu he was able to resist her Love Charm; he even got free of Tamao and then changed into Ripjaws to fight on par with her. Maybe he was holding back on purpose and then when the time was right, Ben'll use it? Or was he underestimating Pierce?

She didn't know but for some strange reason, her chest ached at the thought of him getting hurt.

Pierce could see in Inner Moka's eyes that she too, wanted to fight. It didn't matter to him though, one or two opponents, he would still protect The Wrench with his life. "Makes no difference to me" said Pierce calmly, then he took a battle position himself, while also extending the thorns on his arms as he rushed over towards Ben and Inner Moka.

First, Pierce went after Ben, who was closer. He swiped at Ben with his elbow spikes, but Ben was able to block it with the spike Pierce had given him. Pierce then tried kicking, which Ben ducked from; and when Pierce tried punching him, that's when Inner Moka got involved. She simply kicked him in the chest, sending him back to where he started from, then rushed at him to attack him again. Pierce however (whether it was luck or skill was unclear), managed to grab Inner Moka's leg.

Using his strength and her own momentum against her, Pierce was able to swing Inner Moka around and behind him. She recovered easily enough, then went back after him after she was done sliding. Pierce responded with putting up his spikes up in a defensive manner. This made her stop in her tracks, having seen Argit a few times, hearing from Ben what powers he possessed, and correctly assuming Pierce was of the same species of alien.

If those spikes dug into her flesh, there was a good chance she'd either get paralyzed, put to sleep, or maybe both. S-Class monster or not, she still required motor functions to fight.

Seeing his back was turned, Ben used the spike to sweep at Pierce's feet and cause him to fall. He got up quickly, but his elbow spikes got lodged in the ground. Inner Moka saw this, and used it as an opening to jump up and finish Pierce off with a swift kick from above, giving her battle cry as well. Thinking quickly, Pierce snapped of his own elbow spikes then rolled out of the way, mere seconds before...

POW!

The power behind Inner Moka's kick from above cause the canyon bridge to shake from the impact. Helen, Manny and Ben had to brace themselves to prevent them from falling on their rumps.

"Uh, can we maybe keep the bridge intact, please?" Ben implored her. Her first reaction was to glare at him, but she saw the darkness below them as she got up from her attack... it was quite the drop. Ben could save himself and her with some of his various flying forms, but probably not Helen and Manny at the same time.

Plus, the jetpacks were only useful if they were on someone's person...

Despite him seeing a piece of Inner Moka's power firsthand, Pierce wasn't one to give up so easily. He went after Inner Moka, who wasn't looking until she heard him coming. By that time, Ben stepped in to protect her when Pierce was about to jab his spikes into her backside. After blocking 2 more swipes from Pierce, he then kicked the spike he gave to Ben in two. Now Ben's makeshift sword was a dual-wield pair of daggers. Pierce continued his assault, and managed to knock one of the "daggers" out of Ben's grasp by using his spikes on Ben's left wrist. It rolled and fell of the cliff.

Thankfully, Ben's wrist was in-between the spikes at the time of the strike, so he wasn't going to take a snooze or freeze up... still hurt though.

 **"BRO! That was our cop a feel hand!"** Said Vampire Ben. "That was my video gaming hand!" Said Ben, saying this the exact same time as Vampire Ben's statement.

Inner Moka went back on the assault, but Pierce sensed it coming and grew out spikes on his back to ward her off, which worked. Once that was done, Pierce went at Ben again, but he slid below his legs to avoid him. He went to get back up, but Pierce shot spikes in Ben's direction, making him roll on instinct... not realizing he was right next to the ledge and fell off!

Seeing this made Inner Moka flashback to when Kuyo 'killed' Ben. Growling, her eyes went dark red with rage and using the same speed she rushed at Kuyo with, she slammed her foot in Pierce's chest, only this time with more force than necessary. In slow motion, Pierce's hunched over; then at normal speed, he went flying like a bullet past Manny and Helen into the side of a mountain connected to the canyon bridge they were fighting on. The impact made a loud noise, along with dust flying out everywhere.

 **"Ben!"** Inner Moka said, looking over the ledge. Thankfully, Ben was holding onto the bridge itself, so he hadn't fell to his death.

"I'm fine. Just hanging" Ben said, not trying to joke around, just stating the obvious. Inner Moka helped Ben up by offering her hand, which Ben had to drop his quill-dagger to grab. "What happened to Pierce?" He asked, wondering where he went. The only answer he got from Inner Moka was her glaring in a direction.

Looking in said direction, Ben noticed Pierce was being helped out of the slope of a mountain by Helen and Manny... and immediately put the pieces together.

Manny and Helen both provided support for Pierce, holding him up as they walked away from the location of impact. "I'm fine. I can stand" Pierce insisted, getting himself out of their grasp. He could stand, that much was true... but he felt like he got hit by a space cruiser going at the speed of light. Guess The Wrench's stories were true after all...

Walking over to the duo, Inner Moka got her guard up, and also glared at Pierce harder, if he tried anything. Much to her surprise, he apologized with: "I concede defeat. You both didn't do too bad. At least I now know you or your monster friend's not one of D'Void's spies."

Both her and Ben stared at him, not expecting him to know what Moka was. In fact, this was one of the few times Inner Moka herself was caught completely off guard, and couldn't even begin to hide her shock. "... uh" said Ben, unable to think of a response.

"More specifically; a vampire... S-Class, right?" Pierce continued, correctly assuming what monster Moka exactly was, as well as her ranking. This of course, got both Ben and Inner Moka even more surprised.

"She's a...?" Helen began, shocked to hear this.

"Your not serious, are you?" Asked Manny, as shocked as Helen was.

"How did...?" Ben tried asking.

"The Wrench would tell us of a world full of strange and powerful creatures... turns out he was right" said Pierce, already predicting Ben's question. Truth be told, he didn't believe a word The Wrench said about this so-called 'monster world' at first; even after The Wrench would give descriptions of some of the monsters who resided there:

There of course, was the standard blockbuster movie monsters. Your Cyclops', Werewolfs', Orcs', etc.

Some ran around with wands.

Others could bewitch people with "Charms".

Even a couple who could control certain elements.

But there were a few in particular he would constantly talk about. Some that came to mind were Yasha, Demon Gods... and Vampires. Pure strength, immense speed, fangs, blood-red eyes... there was no mistaking it. Moka was a vampire, and it was hard to deny their existence now that he not only was standing before one, but he _felt_ its power first hand.

"Come on, I'll take you both to The Wrench" offered Pierce.

-TIME BREAK-

Ben and Inner Moka followed Pierce to a hut of some kind. It was made purely of rock, and had a chimney in its center which extended out like a cylinder. Smoke was coming from the top, so it was in use for some reason. There was also a 'doorway', but it was covered by a curtain.

The strange thing was... what was that odd smell? Inner Moka smelled something that wanted to make her nostrils close; and the closer they got, the worse the smell became. Pierce opened the curtain to let in the two guests, but before he let them through,

 **"ARGH! WHAT IS THAT SMELL!?"** Said Inner Moka, covering her nose, unable to handle it anymore. Ben jumped at Inner Moka's sudden declaration, but he couldn't smell anything, so what was she talking abo...? Oh yeah, vampire. The one inside him also snickered at Inner Moka's expense.

"Yeah, about that... _don't_ eat anything he offers you" Pierce said, sounding disturbed.

 **"What the fuck does he eat? Hard-boiled Stinkfly eggs?"** Inner Moka complained, the smell still too much for her. Seeing as his powerful friend was currently incapacitated, Ben made his way inside while Inner Moka got herself together. He pasted by some equipment while making his way to the back of the hut, where a robed figured was waiting with its back turned.

This was him. The Wrench. He was sitting before a fire, and Ben saw he had a pot over it on a rack... this must be what Inner Moka smelled. It was strong, but it wasn't THAT bad. Ben's smelled allot worse... he had his grandfather to thank for that. Maybe that's why the smell didn't effect him as badly, since his nose was used to it.

"Ahem, excuse me... Mister Wrench sir?" Ben began. "I didn't mean to get in the middle of your war and all, but a friend of mine called for help, now another friend is trapped inside with me..." Ben continued, but he was cut off by The Wrench as he took off his hood.

"Why not talk over a bowl of my famous Centipede Gumbo?"

Ben gasped and stood motionless as soon as The Wrench revealed his face to him...

Inner Moka was standing outside waiting for Ben, but heard laughter coming from inside the hut. **"What in the world...?"** She asked, as she pulled the curtain aside and went in herself, ignoring the smell as it wasn't too much of an issue anymore. The first thing she saw was Ben hugging a taller man who looked to be at least 50 years older than themselves, but the scent was unmistakable. **"The Wrench is a human?"** Asked Inner Moka, assuming he would have been an alien creature. Better question was, how did they know each other? They seemed familiar with one another.

Actually, Inner Moka recognized the older man from a few pictures she's seen throughout Ben's house. It was his Grandpa Max, the Ex-Plumber and the one who was a second father figure to Ben. But didn't Ben say he died in an explosion?

"So, you gonna make me ask?" Asked Ben.

"Well, when I detonated that Null Void projector, it didn't blast me to Kingdom Come after all... I wanted to come home, but then I saw how badly these folks were being oppressed," Grandpa Max.

"And took it upon yourself to try and 86 Dr. Animo's reign" Ben finished his grandpa's sentence.

"Or at least, threw a monkey wrench in his machinery" Grandpa Max admitted.

"Heh. Hence _The Wrench_ " Ben smiled, now understanding why Max was dubbed 'The Wrench'.

"By the way... you must be Moka" Said Grandpa Max, turning his attention to the second guest. Ben looked behind him to see that indeed, Inner Moka had followed him inside. She was at first stunned his grandpa knew her name, but then remembered Gwen also knew who she was from that field trip last year, so it made sense that Max must've read those letters as well.

Max took in Inner Moka's form, and her first instinct (due to her pride) was Max appeared to be checking her out, but she held it in. Seeing as how he practically raised Ben, she could assume he wasn't that type of guy... even though according to Ben; he had an alien wife, AND an alien mistress.

" _*sigh*_ Even without that rosary, you look just like her" Max complimented, which took both Ben and Moka by surprise.

"Uh... like who?" Asked Ben, not understanding.

It was here Max realized he slipped up and recovered. " _*ahem*_ Um... how did you both get here?" Max attempted to change the subject.

"... Gwen opened a portal here. Helen called for help" Ben said, recognizing Grandpa wanted to drop the subject. Even so, he and Inner Moka couldn't unhear what Max had just said. Sure he knew about monsters', he indirectly admitted it before Ben was officially enrolled. But... how did he know about Moka's Rosario? It also sounded like he knew what it did. But how? And why? More importantly... exactly _who_ did Moka look like? That didn't make any sense to Ben at all.

As for Inner Moka, her pupils dilated for just a second, but no one noticed for they returned to normal just as quickly.

-TIME BREAK-

A while later, Max had Pierce gather the rest of the Helpers', as well as a few aliens. One was a grey Vulpimancer that had a tail unlike Wildmutt, but there were 2 that Inner Moka didn't recognize. One was a red alien with a circular mouth full of teeth and had smoke coming out from its eyes (Havok Beast); and the other was a green alien with an underbite, four spider-like legs, 3 claws on each hand and spikes on its shoulders (Wigsilian Org).

From behind the desk Max was standing behind, he pulled out a shining rocking with both hands. **"Hey Pierce; we found one of your seven Emeralds, HAHAHAHA!"** Laughed Vampire Ben. Ben ignored this (though it was pretty funny), Inner Moka repeated it with her own version.

 **"So Hedgehog; we got one of your stones"** she said while turning her head to face Pierce. Pierce ignored her remark, but Helen giggled while holding her mouth.

"It's not just any stone, this is Kormite" explained Grandpa Max.

"We know. Half the Null Voids been slaving away for that stuff nonstop ever since D'Void showed up" said Manny.

"What you don't know is why," said Max, putting the Kormite down on the desk, then tapping a button on some kind of device that had what looked like a football goal on top of it. As Grandpa Max pushed the button, it whirled and whirled until it showed a pale-green holographic image.

Although Inner Moka had seen the images of the aliens of the Omnitrix numerous times, this still caught her off guard all the same. How did that tiny box generate enough power to project an image, let alone a bigger image than the Omnitrix holograms? As for this image itself, it was a giant drill facing upward with a furnace on the bottom, supported by beams of steel on four corners. There was also a white swirling vortex above the image where the drill was drilling... its target maybe?

"D'Void is using the Kormite to power a drill designed to rip a hole in the dimensional wall" Max explained.

"All the Kormite he's had everyone mine is being burned in this furnace here" Pierce added in, pointing to the chamber located at the bottom of the drill.

"If D'Void escapes, he'll take all the Null Guardians with him and conquer the Earth" Helen said.

"We'll have to launch an all-out attack then. Everything else we tried hasn't worked" said Pierce, which Inner Moka silently supported. Finally! Someone was speaking her language.

Ben approached the hologram of the giant drill... it wouldn't end here, knowing Animo as well as he did. If he got out of the Null Void, he could start controlling more animals in addition to the Null Guardians. There would be no way any army; be it human, alien or otherwise; that could come close to those numbers. And should Animo win, what's too stop him from using this drill to go to the monster world next?

Ben immediately thought about his fellow Newspaper Club members... he couldn't let this happen! As powerful as monsters' were, even they wouldn't stand a chance against an entire army of animals and dimensional Wildmutt clones! Wait... the Null Guardians... THAT'S IT!

"Why fight our way in... when we could hitch a ride instead?" Ben asked, looking back at the group with a confident expression.

-TIME BREAK-

At the alien farmers hut, some Null Guardians were awaiting for him to load a trolley of supplies. Once he put on the last load, one of the Null Guardians took the trolley in its tentacles and flew away, heading back to Animo's fortress where the drill was running. As soon as the guardians were out of sight, the farmer smirked.

 **"You and your bright ideas"** said Inner Moka and Vampire Ben at the same time, but they had different meanings. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, so some passengers were pressed against each other. While everyone was shoulder-to-shoulder, Inner Moka's chest was slightly pressed against Ben's side. In short; one vamp was happy, the other was annoyed.

"Ow! Watch where ya point those things, Pierce!" Manny complained, for the spikes on Pierces elbow poked him, but luckily his suit and not his skin.

"Sorry" Pierce apologized. If that wasn't bad enough, the Havok Beast and Wigsilian Org got into a verbal dispute, then the Vulpimancer joined in for some reason.

"Knock it off" Max ordered with his leadership tone, effectively shutting up the trio.

"See? Your not the only one" Ben humored. Inner Moka just folded her arms as she sat next to Ben, not in the mood to make a comeback. At the fortress itself, miners were depositing Kormite as they always did. A few seconds after the Null Guardian dropped off the 'supplies'...

"NOW!"

Upon Grandpa Max's order, everything leapped out of the trolley from beneath the bags. The fight for the freedom of the Null Void had begun. In the confusion, the miners fled the scene; either not wanting to be involved when D'Void/Animo shows up, or save themselves.

As they all ran into battle, Ben had transformed into Chromastone and fired energy beams from the crystals on his shoulders and torso, shooting Null Guardians. Manny blasted a few with his ray guns, and punched one in the face as it tried to ram into him. Using her speed, Helen evaded energy blasts from Null Guardians' mouths', and kicked down any she jumped at. Inner Moka did relatively the same thing; only her kicks launched any guardian into walls, floors, other Null Guardians (which then got knocked into walls and floors anyway), or out of the fortress and into floating asteroids outside since there was no roof. The Havok Beast and Wigsilan Org blew fire out of their mouths to either counter the beams the Null Guardians fired, or knock them out of the sky which allowed the grey Vulpimancer to pounce on them, or it would pounce on one itself. A few Null Guardians tried overwhelming Pierce, but he released a burst of quills to break free.

Then there was Grandpa Max. One of the Null Guardians swooped down to try and take a bite out of the human, which Inner Moka saw and would have ran over to help the retired Plumber, but color her impressed with how well he handled himself. He used a Bo staff that was similar to the zombie chick from the now-disbanded Security Committee, but it was made of metal. Using it, Max vaulted over the guardian just a second before he became a snack, and hit the beast so hard in the head, it got dazed and fell to the ground, all while keeping his balance the whole time.

A human impressing her?... Runs in the family, it seemed.

Once all the Null Guardians in the area were incapacitated, all that was left was to shut down the giant drill. The moment they approached the device, a shadow loomed over them. "It's not over" said Chromastone. From behind at the other end of the fortress was a set of stairs that perhaps lead to a throne room or something, but what was more important was the person standing in the doorway...

Animo.

Once he began to walk down the steps, more Null Guardians appeared from that same room. Chromastone began firing more energy blasts the same way as before, aiming at Animo himself. However, they seemed to have no effect on him at all, or he just raised a hand or 2 to block them.

 **"You can hold allot of energy, right?"** Asked Vampire Ben.

"Why?" Asked Chromastone, looking down at his emblem. The second he did, he saw it take a dark green color, and his crystals began flooding with power out of nowhere. Because he wasn't ready for it, the energy overloaded and he involuntary unleashed a thick beam of dark-green light. In fact, it was so powerful, that any Null Guardians they were caught in the blast disintegrated. It also hit Animo. He did try blocking it the same way as seconds earlier, but underestimated its power.

 **"See? I can be helpful"** said Vampire Ben. Chromastone smiled, but then felt his arms being grabbed by something.

"BEN!" Grandpa Max called out in worry, seeing his grandson get grabbed by none other than a Null Guardian. Chromastone struggled and struggled, but the guardians grip with its multiple tentacles was too tight.

BEEP! WHIRL! FLASH!

"... what the? Fourarms?" Said Ben, now having somehow changed from Chromastone into Fourarms. Taking this opportunity, he used his superior strength with his two new arms that weren't wrapped up (thanks to the transformation) to pull down on the guardians tentacles and hurled it to the ground. This made the bat-like creature let go and allowed Fourarms to break free, landing on top of the fallen bat-like Wildmutt safely. Not that he was complaining, but how did that just happen?

 **"You owe me"** said Vampire Ben. It was obvious then... the vampire had something to do with it. Apparently, he could control the Omnitrix to a degree.

Animo suddenly climbed out of the hole in the stairs, somehow still standing despite the enhanced power behind Chromastone's last attack. Upon doing so, he saw Grandpa Max being saved from one of his 'pets' by the gray Vulpimancer... and the familiar red alien Ben had turned into. "Max Tennyson... so your the mysterious Wrench whose been interfering with my plans. And young Ben Tennyson... I should have known. It'll be a pleasure too end not just one, but two miserable existences" he said.

While Animo was giving his speech, he saw Inner Moka fighting out of the corner of his eye, and smirked. As she kicked away another Null Guardian, she was suddenly swarmed by 10 of them! Using her speed and power, she went in a circle and knocked them away. One by one. Kick after kick. An 11th one appeared above her and wrapped her limbs with its tentacles. She struggled in its grasp, but it was too strong. It then flew over to Animo, presenting its capture to its master.

"And you, my dear... such a unique specimen..." said Animo, cupping the girls chin. She didn't normally do this, but went to bite off Animo's fingers, though he retracted them before she got a chance. He then grabbed the side of her face instead, holding it in place. "Heh; an interesting creature indeed. A fine test subject..." Animo continued.

WHIP!

Suddenly, a number of vines grabbed the Null Guardian's tentacles that were holding Inner Moka hostage. These vines slipped through and pulled back on the tentacles to loosen their grip and free the vampire from their clutches. She dropped down and ran to attack Animo, but just like before when she first arrived, she was thrown away by his strength when she was about to deliver a flying kick to his face. As she flew, some of those same vines caught her by her arms and put her safety on the ground.

She saw that it was Wildvine, Ben having quick-changed again. "So Animo, ya still a doctor?" He asked.

"Why?" Asked Animo, confused at the question. Of course he was a doctor! He graduated with a PHD in...

STOMP!

A giant, prehistoric foot stepped on him. "I have a Humungousaur pain in my foot" Humungousaur joked, having grown to his full size. However, despite his sheer mass, Animo was able to push the Vaxasaurian off by his foot, causing Humungousaur to slide across the floor and into a wall, hitting his head in the process. This transformed the alien back into Ben and seeing this, Inner Moka became angry and rushed at Animo again, kicking him in the side from behind as hard as she could.

...

...

Not much happened. Aside from slight flinch from the struck location, Animo just stood there and looked at what he was struck with, and whom to was attached too. Grabbing her foot with his left hand, he horizontally pulled her around him and let go of her foot when his left arm was all the way out on his left side. She was smashed into a wall herself, since to was right next to them. How could this man be so damn tough? Her kicks were able too cause damage before, but now they seemed to have no effect on him.

 **"Well this's fucking embarrassing"** commented Vampire Ben.

Animo began to laugh. "Such a shame to end this, and while it was fun, I've almost drilled through the dimensional wall" he bragged, sure his victory was imminent at this point.

While Inner Moka was getting herself out of the wall, she saw a Null Guardian right in front of her. It growled at her, breathing in her face, but Grandpa Max showed up and stabbed the side of its face hard, making it whimper as it fell down. "You ok?" He asked her, holding his hand out. She didn't accept it right away, but did take it after 2 seconds of just staring up at him.

 **"I'm fi... Ben?"** She responded to Max, but then saw Ben get up... only to run away? That wasn't like him at all.

"One Tennyson fleeing before me, the other at my mercy" said Animo, approaching the duo while punching his fist. Shaking off any daze she still felt, Inner Moka took a stance in front of Grandpa Max, protectively. The old man had earned her respect, so the superpowered doctor had to go through her first before he could get to him.

Wait... what was that energy she was sensing from him? It didn't feel like natural energy but rather, it felt external somehow. "Then... a whole planet to conquer" Animo finished as he was now in front of Max and Moka.

"Sounds like a busy day" came Ben's voice. All three of them looked in the direction it came from... what was that idiot doing?! He was so close to the ledge of where the drill was! It was the Pierce fight all over again!

"Ben! Step back!" Said Grandpa Max, thinking since Ben was human again, he had no 'Hero Time' left.

"I saw it! The Kormite isn't just powering this drill, its also powering him! That's why he's gotten so strong, and why me and Moka's attacks were working when we were outside the fortress!" Ben explained, having figured out the secret to Animo's rise to power. He actually saw this when he watched Animo approach Grandpa and Inner Moka, an aura was being absorbed into Animo's body.

Inner Moka silently agreed with Ben statement, but was surprised he was able to figure it out so quickly. So that energy she was feeling was the Kormite empowering the crazy doctor? It made sense, and lord knows how long the Null Void prisoners were mining this stuff, so Animo's power was seemingly infinite as long as the machine was running; but it appeared distance was an issue since they were able to hurt him, but only when he was OUTSIDE of his base.

"If we're gonna beat Animo, this furnace has to go..." said Ben, then he did the unthinkable...

He did a trust fall, INTO the furnace! "NOOOOOOOO!" Cried Grandpa Max, seeing his beloved grandson sacrifice himself. But next to him... was a intense aura that got EVERYONE to stop.

Inner Moka just stared at where was standing moments ago, struggling to process what had just happened. Ben. Animo's power source. Furnace. Fall...

She, veeeeeeeeeery slowly, turned to Animo; her power continuing to flare. In fact, this got every single Null Guardian in the fortress to start backing away slowly, then they flew away like a bunch of frightened mice. Not a single guardian remained, wanting to get a FAR AWAY as possible. Inner Moka began to breath heavily, her teeth gritting in anger, her demonic blood-red eyes locked ONLY on Animo. She just continued to stare as her monster energy flared even more, to the point where it was almost visible.

_**?:** ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!_

The same figure Animo saw before roared, but no one heard it as it wasn't even there. Not even Inner Moka.

She.

Just.

Snapped.

Giving out a loud battle cry filled with a magnitude of emotions, and her pupils having dilated with rage, the S-Class monster dashed in a blur towards Animo. She was so fast, he couldn't block her incoming attack if he tried.

KA- **POW!**

Getting him square in his abdomen, Animo soared into a wall of his fortress, almost flying out of it. Before he even had a chance to recover, Inner Moka was already upon him, still battle crying. Her eyes were so red, they were now the definition of rage!

**POW!**

Animo barely managed to get out of the wall in time before her foot met him again. At the speed she was going, she would have pierced THROUGH him and would have died on the floor, Kormite-empowered or not. Absorbing more power, Animo braced himself for her coming yet again. Only this time, he also went for her...

**POOOOOOOW!**

They met in a collusion of power, fierce wind blowing as they made contact with each other. They both slid back and while Animo was recovering, Inner Moka went after the doctor once more! She kicked, he blocked it with his arm. He tried to punch her with his free hand, but she grabbed it and vaulted him over her, slamming him on the floor. She then jumped to strike Animo with a downward kick, but he rolled away just in time... though this still caused an earthquake-like reaction.

She was far from done, and continued to home in on Animo no matter how many times they met in a clash, or he avoided her. Animo figured at this point, he bitten off more than he could chew. He had to keep restoring his power from the drill's Kormite furnace, while this girl appeared to have found a limitless supply of energy. _'Just who are you?... What are you?'_ Animo asked himself as he fought for his life. Literally.

The Plumbers Helpers' couldn't take their eyes off the scene. So this was the power of a vampire, and to think Pierce had survived it. Max however, stared at Moka with widened, and fearful eyes. _'... No... that can't be...'_ He thought.

-TIME BREAK-

While Ben was falling to his death, he looked at the Omnitrix. Will all those quick-changes, the watch may have to start its recharge shortly so whatever he was gonna do, he'd better do it quickly and make it count. Big Chill. That's who he was gonna pick. Since this was a furnace, if Ben could cold it down, he'd shut it down. Arctiguana was an option, but he couldn't fly. He scrolled quickly, looking for Big Chills icon.

First was Humungousaur (which was expected for he just used him), Spidermonkey, Upgrade, Alien X, Ripjaws... _'Come on, come on!'_ Ben thought as he continued to cycle through the roster, getting a bit nervous as the ground was approaching quickly.

Grey Matter, Heastblast, Cannonbolt, Ditto, Spitter... if this watch didn't hurry up, Ben'll be kissing the ground pretty hard!

Upchuck, Snare-Oh, Eye Guy, Benwolf, Goop... did this thing rearrange the dial or something?!

Looking down, the fire pit was coming up! It's now or never! No longer caring which alien was selected, he slammed his hand down after turning it once more. He'll just have to adapt accordingly. Nothing new. Its only happened about what? 40 times?

Only this time... it DIDN'T land on an alien...

Landing on a ledge wide enough for both feet, Vampire Ben was shown to have taken the place of Ben. Straightening himself, he looked ahead and saw the furnace that Ben wanted to destroy. Now; did Vampire Ben care about Animo or his plans, or the consequences if he succeeds? No. That wasn't his problem, nor should it be Ben's problem, right?

 **"... I just can't figure you out, Benny-boy. Why save a bunch of plastic nobodies when you could have stayed home and let Gramps take care of it? Old man seems more than capable"** Vampire Ben said while looking at his Omnitrix symbol. **"Ok sure. XLR-babe pulls the 'damsel in distress card', but unless she's gonna reward you with a prehistoric lap dance, I don't see the point"** He continued out loud, talking to himself more than Ben. The vampire also had to admit that, although part alien, Helen did have a decent body on her.

But... the Omnitrix Vampire and its human counterpart did have one common goal: getting out of the Null Void. He looked at the base of furnace. Thankfully, he didn't land in the fire pit below, where the Kormite would be dumped here, then burned and turned into power. He smiled, coming to his own decision.

 **"Alright, Doctor... hope you like fireworks,"** Vampire Ben said, pulling a fist back. It began to glow with monster energy. **"We're lighting this up like the Fourth of July!"**

He jumped.

-TIME BREAK-

The scene switches back to Inner Moka and Dr. Animo/D'Voids fight, with the latter getting his ass kicked by the former. The only reason they stopped their fight was because the immense explosion of green light that originated from the drills location captured everyone's attention. While the helpers didn't know what was going on, Inner Moka and Max looked at the display, and both were confused. Did the Omnitrix self-destruct or something? Nah, that would have destroyed everything.

There was only one other factor that could cause that, a factor only Inner Moka knew.

Below, after 'that factor' struck the funnel, he jumped off of it and from ledge-to-ledge, traveling up to the top before it would explode. That's when his symbol began to flash red. **"Aw, FUCK MEEEEEEEE!"**

FLASH!

Ben cried out as he soared through the air, his vampiric self having kicked of the last ledge hard enough to propel him a few feet above the fire pit, and crash land on the steel floor. He grunted. It did hurt, Ben's couldn't lie.

KA-BOOM! FLOOSH!

Seconds later, a loud booming sound came from the furnace itself. Then a few explosions occurred, with more traveling up the funnel of the furnace as it went straight to the top. This caused the drill itself to not only stop spinning, but also pop off. It landed on the floor with a loud thud, along with other pieces of the machine. The drill was destroyed. The Null Void and its inhabitants were safe, and Animo had lost once again.

"No! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The animal doctor cried out, not believing his genius plan and all his hard work had failed. He then saw Ben laying nearby, how did he get there? "You!" It didn't matter to him now, Ben had foiled his plans for the last time, and he was gonna make sure of it. With his face full of ire, he ran towards the weakened Ben to either choke him out, or toss him down into the fire pit, whichever came first.

Only for the still-angry Inner Moka to dart in front of his path. In his rage without thinking, he went to punch her out of the way, but his fist was easily grabbed by her own. Looks like Ben was right, he lost his former strength. He went to use his other hand, and while she would have caught that one just the same, Max was the one to prevent him from hitting the vampire. When Animo looked behind, he was greeted by the retired Plumbers fist, and was easily knocked down.

As Max looked down at Animo, it looked like Ben was right. Animo was normally more brain over brawn, but without his drill as his grandson predicted, Animo was back to his regular self in terms of strength. But even then, he refused to give up and started to try and stand again, only for the shadow of Inner Moka to loom over her. She was no longer in her crazed state anymore, the surprise explosions having snapped her out of it, but she still looked as fierce as ever.

 **"Not so tough without your Tonka toys, are you?"** She mocked him. **"Unlike Ben, you use technology to strengthen your own power for you own vile ambitions, forcing people to bow before you and treat them like slaves"** she continued. **"So doctor, I highly prescribe you learn your PLACE!"**

POW!

Giving Animo a swift kick in his chest area, the mad scientist flew off with a loud grunt of pain, then crashed into the fortress wall one final time. Humorously; this made the Havok Beast, Wigsilian Org and Vulpimancer all cringe as soon as Animo crashed into the wall. As Inner Moka put her foot down, she and Grandpa Max went to Ben's side to help him stand. The Helpers' cheered as they gathered around in a group, they had finally won!

"Pierce. Go grab D'Void. Manny, Helen. Make sure everyone is out of those mines. And keep a lookout for..." Grandpa Max ordered, but then two feet above his height, a bright light appeared out of nowhere. It then began to expand and... make a grunting noise?

"Ben? Moka?" It was Gwen, having opened a new portal.

"You finally found them?" Asked Kurumu's voice in the background.

"Gwen! Check out what I found!" said Ben.

"Hey, pumpkin" said Max, giving a small wave to his granddaughter.

"Grandpa! Your aliv... UGH!" She started to say, surprised her grandfather wasn't blown to smithereens, but then the portal she was holding open with her hands began to close, so she had to fight back. "I can't keep this door open forever, you gotta hurry!" She warned.

"Ok! Round up the Helpers' Grandpa and..." Ben began, now that their was a way out, but noticed Max look down.

"... We can't go Ben. Not yet" Max said, which got Ben and Inner Moka confused.

 **"Why the hell not? You WANT to stay in this crazy place?"** Asked Inner Moka.

"We have to get those Guardians working like they're supposed too. For the longest time, they've been tamed by Animo to attack anyone, we can't let that problem go on" answered Max in a tone that was kind, yet stern. Inner Moka did understand his logic, and she wasn't gonna argue with him about it.

"Then Moka, you go back with Gwen and the others. I'll stay here and help" said Ben. Before Inner Moka could protest to that...

 **Kurumu's Voice:** Or you can come back and Moka stays there.

Gwen turned her neck to give Kurumu a blank expression. "... What?... It's an option" the succubus continued.

"No. Neither one of you are staying. We can handle things here, but Earth needs you both. Go back and help as many people as you can, they need you" Grandpa Max said, still holding his kind/authoritative tone. It actually hit Inner Moka's heart, for his demeanor reminded her of someone close to her...

"Then help me! _I_ need you" Said Ben, not wanting to lose his grandpa again. Fighting alongside Max brought back many memories, and those memories are what kept Ben going.

"Not anymore. You proved that today" Max smiled at his grandson.

"... I can't lose you again, Grandpa" said Ben, still a bit sad.

"You never did" Max said to Ben and with that, he pulled him into a heartfelt hug. This scene made Inner Moka flashback to a more peaceful time, when she was walking through a large castle with a woman that looked like herself, but with pink hair... what was that wet feeling on her cheek? Wiping with a finger... tears? She was crying? Why the heck was she crying for?

"And Moka," hearing her name, she stood to attention, hoping no one noticed her crying (thankfully, no one did). "Keep Ben out of trouble" Max smiled at her, which she smirked back at him.

 **"I'll try"** she joked.

"Yeah, this is really sweet and all but... UGH! HURRY!" Gwen called out. She was running out of strength to keep the portal open, and it took her several tries to track them down so if they didn't come with her now, they might miss their chance to return home. Reaching down, Ben came forward and took Gwen's hand, but it was hard picking up someone AND keeping the gateway open at the same time.

Kurumu then appeared and reached down for Inner Moka.

"Come on! Lets go before I change my mind" Kurumu said, not being 100% serious. Inner Moka took her hand and the succubus did the same as Gwen was doing to Ben. Both sides struggled to get their passenger out, and when it looked like they'd both get dropped; Kevin appeared in-between Gwen and Kurumu, and grabbed one of Ben and Inner Moka's arms with his own.

"Time to come home, lovebirds" he said and with the trio working together, they all pulled the human and S-Class monster up and out of the Null Void just as it closed up.


	11. Chapter 11

A few days after the Null Void mishap, Ben and his team found a Teleporter Pod in a factory which Kevin was trying to figure out how to work. Why? He loved alien tech. To make sure he got it just right, he used a banana as a test run.

"Anyone else see how badly this is gonna backfire?" Kurumu asked. Don't get her wrong, she began to have faith in Kevin's tech knowledge as she and Moka got the know the guy, but if it was any way he kept his car out of danger...

"Do any of you guys know how to work it? At all?" Asked Moka.

"We've seen it work, but we never tried working one" Gwen said, mentioning the time when they saw a Highbreed use one to escape. Ironically, that was also the day Moka and Kurumu 'dropped in'.

"Gotta start somewhere" stated Kevin, walking towards a control console after strategically placing the banana.

"Ben, tell Kevin this is..." Gwen began, but noticed Ben wasn't next to her anymore. Odd. He was there a second ago when they walked in. She looked back and forth, with Kurumu and Moka noticing and copying the action.

"Where's Ben?" Moka asked. Kurumu was the one to notice the shoulder of a green jacket poking out from behind a large piece of machinery. She cocked an eyebrow. He was no Mizore, that's for sure. It was then the 2 other girls noticed and stared in the same reaction. "Ben? Are you hiding?" Asked Moka. Inner Moka sighed at this. Big bad Ben Tennyson, cowering behind cover from a machine?

Now caught, Ben walked sideways out of his hiding spot. Crap! He was sure no one would find him. He should have asked his snow woman friend for a few pointers before he left. "N-No. Its just... if a fly lands on that banana when it teleports then re-materializes, it'll mutate into a deadly fly monster and, IIIII don't wanna be anywhere near it" Ben explained. The vampire and succubus didn't take offense to this... too much.

"Don't see the big deal. You went to a school full of them" said Kevin, pointing out Ben dealt with deadly monsters before. As he did, he was getting the pod ready by flipping switches on the console and pressing a button to activate the pod itself.

"And sweetie... that's how we met" Kurumu pointed out, adding to Kevin's point with the first 'monster' Ben became around her.

"... that was different" Ben insisted, walking back to the group. As he did, Kevin pressed a larger button, triggering the teleportation mechanism. The banana was brought up to the center of the Teleporter Pod's circle by blue electricity. In a flash... it was gone!

"You did...!" Kurumu began to exclaim, but a second later the banana reappeared out-of-nowhere, looking like it have been burnt. Smoke was coming out of it, then it swelled and exploded in a gooey mess. It was quite disgusting. If that wasn't bad enough, the machine itself began sparking and vibrating! To make matters worse, the console did the exact same thing, preventing Kevin from shutting it down. The machine began glowing...

 **Ben** : EVERYBODY DOWN!

KA-BOOOOOOM!

( **AN** : Theme song.)

**Chapter 7: Undercover + Vampire**

The force of the blast not only blasted open the garage-like door behind the Teleporter Pod, it also shattered itself and its pieces fell to the floor. On the side of the room where Ben and his team where, a large wall of green diamond protected the group from harm. Ben had went Hero and changed into Diamondhead in the nick of time. The wall of diamond dropped, revealing everyone was ok. In shock, but ok.

"Everyone alright?" Ben asked after changing back in a flash of light.

"Forget that! What about the Teleporter Pod?!" Said Kevin, running over the tech to check if it was still operational.

 **"He's fine"** Commented both Vampire Ben and Inner Moka, sarcastically. "Asshole" Kurumu muttered. Moka looked unsure herself. At times, Kevin was protective, but he would do stuff like this in the same token.

"Deep down, he's glad we're ok" Gwen said. She, Ben, Moka and Kurumu walked calmly to where Kevin was checking the machine.

"So um... how bad is it?" Moka asked.

"Totally trashed" Kevin said, sadly.

"At least we won't have to worry about fly monsters" said Ben, earning a glance from his cousin and two monster friends. "Just saying" he added.

 **"Idiot"** Inner Moka said.

"I know a kid. Might be able to fix it" said Kevin, which got the group surprised.

"Excuse me?... Kid?" Kurumu repeated, wanting to make sure she heard him clearly. "A kid? Fix alien tech?" Gwen asked.

"He's a super genius with any kind of machinery, human or alien" said Kevin.

 **"Does he have a dog named Goddard too?"** Asked Vampire Ben. Ben just glanced down at the Omnitrix, unamused. **"What? I'm serious"** Vampire Ben continued, apparently being genuine for once.

"I'll fetch Cooper. He's usually in his lab..." Kevin was saying, but the name he used caught the attention of both Tennyson cousins.

"Cooper?" Asked Ben. "That's his name" said Kevin.

"Pasty, white kid?"

"Yup."

"Blond?" Gwen asked.

"All the time" said Kevin.

"Bad haircut?"

"Everyday."

"Has a crush on Gwen?" Asked Ben, which got him an elbow in the stomach from Gwen. "Ow."

"Sounds like the same guy... but who wouldn't have a crush on Gwen?" Kevin confirmed, also throwing in a small smile towards Gwen. He was gonna have fun with that last bit of information.

"Wait, you already have a boyfriend?" Asked Moka. "And you guys say _I'm_ bad" Kurumu added.

"He's not, my boyfriend" Gwen said. "He helped us out when we were kids, at Fort Knox" Ben said.

Both monster girls reacted upon hearing that, recalling one of the stories Ben told them. "Isn't that when you destroyed Mount Rushmore?" Asked Kurumu.

"... Not on purpose" Ben said. "You should have told us you knew him" he continued, directing this statement to Kevin.

"Didn't exactly come up" said Kevin, walking over to his car. Thankfully unlike all the other times, it wasn't damaged in any way.

"You didn't think a techno-wizard would've been helpful against the DNAliens?" Asked Ben, him and the rest of the group following.

"If your so smart, why didn't you bring it up?" Kevin backfired, which was a fair point, Ben had to admit.

-TIME BREAK-

Kevin drove them all to a house, which was weird because he said Cooper was in a lab. As they walked up to the door, Kevin made a comment abut if Gwen was glad to see her Ex again, with her telling him to zip it. The door was left unlocked, which was another strange thing. Kevin claimed the kid never left his lab for anything, not even his parents.

They went towards a door, leading to a basement, which had computers and snacks all over the place; including dirty clothes and an old pizza box on the floor, with an old slice still inside. The girls found this gross. Kevin wasn't kidding when he said 'never'.

"Something not right. Look for signs of a struggle" Kevin ordered, getting a bad feeling.

"This whole room is a struggle! How can anyone live in this? Like a rat on the street!" Kurumu said. She got a glare from Kevin as a response, and gave a nervous chuckle; as well as 'sorry', realizing Kevin had a similar life.

Ben walked over the pizza box, putting his hand on a desk as leverage, when he felt something under a messy pile of papers. He pulled out a red object that looked like a blow dryer, except it had some flaps around the nozzle. Curious, he pressed the button on the back, the blow dryer whirling to life. It shot some kind of clear, white beam that happened to hit one of the computers monitors. Somehow, this turned the other monitors on and a message played.

On the screens appeared a short, pasty blond boy with blue eyes. He was saying something about if anyone found this recording, but a screech came and it was shown that 3 DNAliens chased the poor boy around his lab, before finally cornering him and teleporting away.

"Poor thing" said Moka. She and Kurumu felt bad for him, he stood no chance against those DNAliens, even though he did try but it was all in vain.

"Gwen, can you track him?" Asked Ben, hoping his cousin could figure out where they took the little guy. Gwen did just that, her eyes and hands glowing as she began sensing his energy.

"Got him. He's pretty far, but I can lead us to him" Gwen said.

"In other words your; _attracted_ to him" Kevin joked, not able to resist the urge to poke fun at her. Admittedly; Kurumu and Moka found that funny. They had to hold back their giggles, but they couldn't stop silly smiles from forming on their faces.

"Can we just go?" Gwen said, not finding the statement funny in the slightest. She'll have to get Kevin back somehow but for now, she stomped off back upstairs and got into the car before anyone else.

-TIME BREAK-

"Los Soledad?" Asked Moka.

"But we were here just last week!" Said Kurumu.

"At least there was a monster to fight then" Kevin added. All of this was true, as the military base was as abandoned as they last saw it and to their knowledge, no DNAliens. If there were any; wouldn't they have come out to all the ruckus that they, Paradox, and the trans-dimensional monster were making while fighting? It didn't make any sense.

"But... I don't get it. I did everything right! The trail lead us here!" Gwen said, looking down at her hands, unsure why this happened. Her mana tracking always worked 100% of the time, but why did it lead them to the middle of nowhere, to a place with no activity no less?

"Well; they say love is blind" Kevin quipped again. Gwen's head snapped in Kevin's direction and stared directly at him, tiresomely. Seriously, was he ever gonna stop tonight, or was this gonna be the new joke for the next week? That's how long 'Mommy Ben' lasted for, but at least they ALL had fun with it (except the main target). The only form of laughter going on now was snickering inside Ben's head, which he winced at.

"Knock it off, Kevin. My powers are telling me Cooper's close by" Gwen insisted.

"Then where the hell is he?" Asked Kurumu. "Maybe something screwed up your powers by accident?" Suggested Moka kindly with a shrug.

"They. _DID NOT_. Screw up" Gwen said with a hardened tone, though it was mainly because Kevin wouldn't stop annoying her.

Ben walked over to the hole that was still there from the last time, though it appeared it was there from the weathering over the years rather than a dimensional monster smashing through it. "We all make mistakes, Gwen. There's nothing here but..." Ben began to speak now that the annoying snickering stopped, but as he walked inside the hole, he somehow vanished! Gwen and Moka called out Ben's name at the same time in worry, with Kurumu saying 'sweetie' instead. The group ran over to the hole, but didn't see Ben on the other side of it. What the...?

"The hell'd he go?" Asked Kevin. His question was answered when Ben's head reappeared, but the rest of him from the neck down did not. How in the...?

"You guys' have got... to see this" Ben said to them, inviting them inside. Although looking at each other in confusion, the rest of the group followed him.

Upon going in... it was snowing? "Snow?" Asked Moka, holding out a hand. Indeed, a flake fell in her hand, so this was real. Thankfully, waters purifying properties are canceled out when frozen, so she wasn't in pain; but still, where did this snow come from? It was a cool night sure, but it wasn't _that_ cold either. And even if it was... why was it only snowing in _**here**_?

"But winters not for another...!" Exclaimed Kurumu, about to say the season in question was still months away, but then Ben quickly clamped her mouth shut and gave her the 'shushing' sound. Taking cover behind a large piece of rubble, it was then they noticed that just ahead, DNAliens were going in and out of some kind building that none of them knew what it was. In the distance were 4 towers with odd shapes.

"More of those Weather Control Towers, this can't be good" said Kevin. While the monsters' weren't present for that mission, Ben had told them the story of how they helped out a kid that could turn into a Heatblast a while back, and the mission revolved around one of those same towers. When they asked Ben why the hell DNAliens needed them, Ben couldn't give them an answer for none of them knew either. Everything the DNAliens did seemed to make no sense.

But whatever they were up to this time... Cooper was caught in the middle of it.

"So... are those towers masking the area... somehow?" Asked Moka. She's seen a few DNAliens that used items called ID Masks to 'mask' their true appearance. She figured it must have been the same technology.

"Hardly. They're using a cloaking field... but where would they get a rig powerful enough to cover an entire city?" Said Kevin though despite his knowledge, he too was confused. It took everyone less than 2 seconds to figure out the DNAliens must've have gotten Cooper to build it, most likely by force. But is that the ONLY reason they brought him all the way out here? Because the group also noticed a giant arch-like device that was taller than the Control Towers.

"With the cloaking field up, they can work without anyone seeing them build... whatever that is" Ben said, mentioning the arch-like machine.

 **"So they're building a Ferris Wheel?"** Asked Inner Moka, unimpressed. She was never answered however, mainly because before Outer Moka could repeat it, Gwen told them all to get down. A few DNAliens flew by on some kind of hover-cart. One of them did stop and look in the direction of the rubble the group was hiding behind for a few seconds, but it apparently lost interest and went back on its merry way.

"Gwen? You still got a lock on Cooper?" Asked Ben. Gwen's eyes glowed, tracking Coopers energy. "He's not far from here" she confirmed.

"Got any invisibility voodoo?" Asked Kevin.

"It's not voodoo" Gwen answered.

"That's a no, then" Kevin answered back.

Luckily for them, Kurumu got an idea. Touching the rubble they were behind, she made illusionary copies of each one in a line though a few feet from each other, allowing them to use them for cover to get behind some buildings without being seen. Bad timing, because they were in-between a pair of DNAliens moving some metal bars in one of their hover-carts, and another one that they heard coming from behind. It seemed like they were gonna get caught red-handed, but Gwen thought quickly and lifted them all up with mana to get up on the rooftops quickly, barely evading detection that time.

Gwen starting tracking the 'scent' of Cooper again, leading them to a small building. This building however, had several doors inside, leading to different rooms. "We could yell out _hey Cooper_ " Kevin suggested in a low voice, not being entirely serious.

"Yeah. And have over 10,000 alien squids' on us. Good plan" Kurumu whispered, being equally sarcastic. Gwen lead them all the way to the back of the building to the furthest door.

"Here. Definitely in here" Gwen said, as the aura of Cooper was much stronger now. Ben went to open the door when...

"And if there's 10,000 aliens behind that door? Good plan" Kevin retorted from earlier, also stopping Ben in his tracks. Kurumu grew out her nails on one hand and was most likely gonna strike Kevin out of aggravation, but Moka grabbed her arm and pulled it down, shaking her head at the succubus and giving her a look that said: 'don't you dare'.

Ben became Goop to squeeze himself under the door, and turns into a single eye to look around. Ahead, he saw only 2 DNAliens, but they were ordering a kid that levitated pieces of metal and put them together. It was Cooper! As he was working, he put 2 pieces of what the aliens called "Varsidium", which inadvertently created a high-pitched sound. The 2 DNAlien doubled over, grabbing the side of their heads in pain. Interesting. So loud noises was a weakness for them? Kinda reminded Ben of his tussle with Gin last year.

Cooper saw the Polymorph peek out from the bottom of the door. What kind of alien was that? He didn't have time to think about it since this small distraction broke his mental concentration on the metal he was working with, and they fell to the ground. Needless to say, those DNAliens were mad at Cooper, even though it was clearly an accident. Goop had his Anti-Gravity Projector get into the room quickly through an air vent so he could move his goopy body in front of Cooper to protect him, as earth's gravity renders him immobilize otherwise.

"No roughhousing, children" Goop said. Seeing the intruder, both DNAliens got a ray gun, but Goop knocked them both out at the same time by stretching himself and pushing both aliens together hard.

Hearing the commotion, Kevin punched the door down after absorbing it. He wanted to help save Cooper, of course. Kurumu also took her true form, and leapped in after Kevin did. Was she here to help save Cooper? Yes... though she mainly jumped in out of love for Ben.

"Cavalry's here!" Kevin said, him and Kurumu noticing the 2 DNAliens knocked out on the floor.

"Uh... not that you needed it" said Kurumu, a bit embarrassed.

Cooper saw both Kevin and Kurumu; and was a bit surprised to see a bluenette with long nails, wings and a tail. What alien was she? But he was more focused on the sight of Gwen. "Gwen. You totally came to my rescu-..." Cooper began to praise Gwen, but then he got his eyes on a certain pink-haired girl. The boy was at a loss for words. Two beautiful girls in his sights was more than enough to render him speechless. Everyone noticed this.

 **"What. Is he looking at?"** Asked Inner Moka with a growl, getting both prideful and defensive, but mainly the former.

"You have GOT to be kidding" Kurumu deadpanned. Why was it everywhere she went, she was always overshadowed by Moka? Can't SOMEONE find her attractive first! Was that too much to ask?! Despite this, the group rejoined Ben (who just pressed his chest plate to change back to normal) next to Cooper.

"So, um... whose your friend?" Cooper asked Gwen in a lovey-dovey voice, obviously referring to Moka. Hearing this, Ben got an odd feeling in his stomach. He was about to poke fun at Gwen, but why did he feel this way all of a sudden?

"Alright. Let's go, lover-boy" said Ben, taking Cooper's wrist and pulling him out of the room.

"Don't get jealous, Tennyson. Who wouldn't get a crush on Moka?" Kevin joked, now having an additional target(s) for his joke. Hearing this, Moka got a small blush, Kurumu rolled her eyes, and Ben never answered back Kevin like he usually does. The group ran out of the building (Kurumu had returned to her human form), with Cooper behind all of them. When they stopped behind a building for a second, Cooper was panting like a dog.

"I... gotta... rest" he wheezed. "Ever think of building a treadmill?" Joked Kevin.

"We can't stay here long, we need to get outside the field before the DNAliens realize Cooper's missing" said Ben, but the only thing Cooper was focused on was Gwen and Moka, who both noticed as Cooper's face did nothing to hide the admiration written all over it.

 **"His eyes. Are crawling"** Inner Moka growled again, which wasn't exactly true. It wasn't like the monsters' from Yokai that would ogle and drool over their body at the mere sight of it, but Cooper seemed to be more interested in her's and Gwen's faces, so his crush was more innocent if anything. It was mostly the pride talking.

"The way you both came storming in there; like how Princess Elena rescued me last week from the Caverns of Unforgiving Dismay!" Cooper said. Moka, Inner Moka, Kurumu, Kevin, Ben, Vampire Ben and Gwen had absolutely no idea what Cooper was going on about. All they could do was stare at him.

 **"The fuck did he say?"** Asked Inner Moka, genuinely not understanding a single word Cooper just said.

 **"Is this kid simping?"** Asked Vampire Ben, feeling the same as Inner Moka. And for once, Ben couldn't argue with his other half's opinion.

"Excuse me?" Asked Gwen.

"Nations of Conquest. The M.M.O.R.P.G I play" Cooper explained. Ben and Kevin understood now, though they were more casual console gamers than anything else.

 **"Betcha 30 bucks he's a Tier 3 of Pokimane"** commented Vampire Ben. Again, Ben could not disagree with him.

"Um... thanks?" Said Moka, unsure what to make of Cooper's statement.

"I'm sorry, can you speak English?" Asked Kurumu, trying not to sound too annoyed, but she felt like Cooper was talking in code. M.M.O.R.P.G? Was that some kind of fancy tech word?

"Massive multiplayer online role-playing game" Cooper explained further.

"Yeah, guys. And your powers include vampirism, witchcraft, and +3 nerd bait" Kevin said to Cooper's main crush and second crush.

"Guys, this is serious. This is the biggest DNAlien construction we've ever seen, and they can work 24/7 as long as this cloaking shield is up" Ben said, trying to get everyone back on track.

"I'm the one they forced to build the cloaking projector. Shutting it down won't be too hard" said Cooper.

"Then that's what were gonna do" said Ben. He couldn't just leave the DNAliens unattended like this, even if they had no idea what they were planning after weeks of battles and stopping they're nefarious schemes.

 **"Why not just hypnotize them with his infamous Hypno-beam?"** Suggested Vampire Ben, but he was ignored.

"We've gotten lucky so far. If we keep this up, they're bound to spot us sooner or later" said Gwen, making a good point. The longer they stay, the bigger the risk of them getting caught.

"How so? We got a walking projector right here" said Kevin, pointing to Kurumu with his thumb.

"Well I can't do it all night!" Kurumu complained.

"That's not a problem either. Before I built the main projector," said Cooper, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small device. "I built a small one first. A prototype." Kurumu and Moka looked in fascination. That was a piece of alien technology, and they were about it use it? That was incredible! "The field it generates should be enough to cover all of us... if we, squeeze real tight" finished Cooper, blushing.

**Inner Moka: Oh, give me a break!**

**Gwen:** _(rolls eyes)_ For the love...

**Vampire Ben: Your trying too hard, kid.**

Getting close together (thankfully not as tight as Cooper claimed), Cooper activated the prototype. With a whirling sound, the group was covered in the cloaking field... strangely, they didn't feel invisible at all. Ben and the monster girls expected to not be able to see themselves, but they still did. Did the prototype malfunction or something? As a DNAlien passed by on one of those hover-carts... it didn't react to they're presence at all! Even though they were clearly in its line of sight!

The group made they're way over to where the main cloaking device was, with Cooper leading the way. One DNAlien was putting a large cord into a large piece of machinery, and other were still flying around in hover-carts.

"So, Coop. The damsel recused you, now you get to be the knight in shinning armor" Kevin joked.

"Someone jealous?" Kurumu 'asked'.

"That's so sweet" Gwen agreed with Kurumu, messing around with Kevin. If he was gonna keep this up, she might as well match his momentum.

"I'm not!" Kevin insisted, which was true. Unlike with Mike Morningstar, he really didn't care Cooper was getting all lovey-dovey with Gwen. His increased volume caught the attention of a DNAlien, which made the group freeze. The alien, not seeing anything amiss, went back to work. The group sighed in relief.

 **"We're in the Shroud of Shadows, not the Shroud of Silence"** Vampire Ben commented.

To make matters worse, the device in Coopers hands began to spark, becoming too for him to hold. He dropped it and after laying in the snow for a few seconds, it blew up. Guess there were some bugs that still needed sorting out. This caught the attention of the same DNAlien, who was walking alongside 2 more.

"Crap" said Kurumu.

"Who are they?" One DNAlien asked.

"They shouldn't be here..." said a second DNAlien, then it noticed Cooper was with him. "They're trying to escape! GET THEM!"

That was all it took to get hundreds of DNAliens upon Ben and his team. Before Kevin could touch anything, two DNAliens ganged up on him and held his arms back. One also grabbed Cooper by his shirt. Ben attempted to activate the Omnitrix, but he to was also grabbed and held back similarly to Kevin.

"Get off him, fish-face!" Yelled Kurumu, taking her true appearance and flying at the duo of DNAliens. To avoid being sliced by her, they had to release Ben and duck. Some DNAliens however, thought ahead and when Kurumu circled back around, they fired laser guns they had with them, forcing Kurumu to pull back. She gritted her teeth. She couldn't use her illusion magic now, members of her own team would get caught in the crossfire! Gwen launched balls of mana at DNAliens, but that only caused more to appear and ran at her.

Ben went to try going Hero again, but was jumped by 3 DNAliens this time. Eventually, Moka was also caught. She struggles, but was ultimately unable to get free due to her sealed state. "BEN!" She called out to her green-clothed friend, reaching her hand out towards him.

"MOKA!" Called out Ben in the same fashion, also reaching for Moka, but the grip of the DNAliens were too tight. "GWEN! A LITTLE HELP HERE!" Ben called to his cousin. Seeing them, Gwen went to knock those DNAliens away, but one jumped her from behind from the rooftop, and several more dogpiled her to hold her back. Seeing Gwen was out, Ben struggled even more. He raised his hand up, and sent it straight down while reaching as far as his fingers would let him to try and grab Moka's hand.

But he missed her palm, and his fingers ended up knocking off...

PING!

Moka's Rosario laid there in the snow for only 2 seconds before the eye opened and...

FLASH!

The release of Moka's monster energy blew the DNAliens holding her off and away, her power exploding into the air. The massive army of DNAliens, having never seen something like this before, stopped what they were doing and looked at the large column of energy erupting from where Moka was standing, feeling a sense of dread as the light from her unsealing shined in the night. It was so strong, it began to fizzle the cloaking device's barrier temporarily, revealing the towers to a trucker that happened to be driving along that night.

Like the trucker and DNAliens, Cooper also looked in shock and awe... what was that light and more importantly: what was happening to Moka?

( **AN:** Inner Moka's theme.)

 _When the rosary seal over her breast is removed, Moka's innocent self vanishes, and her inner vampire... awakens._ Immediately after the bat swarm; in a silver blur, every DNAlien not currently subduing a member of the team was kicked away either into the air and 100's of feet away, or slid across the snow the same distance (some slamming into objects and/or each other). After finishing her attack, Inner Moka appeared in the center of the leftover group of DNAliens holding back her allies, turning to look at them with her blood-red eyes.

 **"Man, I wanted to do that"** mordanted Vampire Ben, who would've done the same thing Inner Moka did if Ben was trapped any longer, not caring if his friends saw he was a vampire or not. She got to have all the fun...

 **"If you don't want the same thing to happen to you..."** Inner Moka warned the DNAliens using a dark tone, her energy still fresh in the air. Cooper stared at Moka with fascination... she had become a different person right in front of him! Silted eyes, silver-bladed hair, newly shaped curves... it was just like his game! Beautiful, powerful, hardcore. Moka was now almost an exact life-like Princess Elena! She then focused her eyes on him, **"That includes you, blonde."**

Fearing for they're own safety, the DNAliens released they're hostages and ran off, Inner Moka's speech and power having the desired effect. But with Cooper...

"... amazing... just like Threia Hazelgrimm from Alchemists of the Dusk Sky..." Cooper said, Inner Moka ass-kicking having the opposite effect. Vampire Ben laughed on Coopers choice of words for Inner Moka.

 **"HAHAHAHAHA! I love this kid!"** He said in-between gasps of breath.

Now free, Ben tried his Omnitrix for the 3rd time before any of the DNAliens returned. While they were afraid of Inner Moka, that didn't mean they wouldn't get reinforcements. He was about to go XLR8 to assist his vampiric friend with ground combat or Jetray for aerial support with the succubus, when he saw a hole in a wall where a DNAlien flew into courtesy of Inner Moka. Inside, was more of that yellow metal... what was it called again? Varsidium?

Ben's brain just hatched an idea. He became Echo-Echo instead. "Kevin. Absorb that Varsidium" he said.

Kevin looked and saw the metal. He could definitely use it, but why that? It wasn't as strong as normal metal; plus it was expensive. "Any particular reason why?" He asked, doing what Echo-Echo suggested. As he asked that, more DNAliens started showing up, more also armed with weapons. Just then, Echo-Echo jumped on Kevin's back and held onto his head to support himself. "HEY!"

"GWEN! HIT KEVIN!" Called Echo-Echo

"Excuse me?!" Asked Kevin.

Gwen, wanting to get Kevin back anyway, did exactly as the Sonorosian said, and tossed a disc of mana into Kevin's back. While this didn't hurt Kevin too badly, it made his body vibrate and using that vibration, Echo-Echo released a sonic scream, making all the DNAliens that just arrived grab the sides of their heads in agonizing pain while screeching in distress. With the aliens down, Echo-Echo stopping screaming.

Seeing this, everyone was surprised aside from Cooper. Kurumu flew down next to a still-shaking Kevin. "How did you...?" She was asking.

"I'll explain later!" Promised Echo-Echo. With no more time to waste, the entire group made a run (flight in Kurumu's case) for it. "Where is the projector?" Echo-Echo asked Cooper.

"It's a straight shot from here, where their building that arch!" Cooper said.

"What is that arch for anyway?" Echo-Echo asked, looking ahead at the arch. It really was huge... but what was it for?

"They wouldn't tell me, just to build a cloaking projector and stuff" Cooper said.

"And did have to hit me so hard?" Kevin asked Gwen.

"I did. I really did" said Gwen with a smile on her face.

The group kept running as more DNAliens came out-of-nowhere from behind, as well as the buildings along the path, running as fast as they could to catch the interlopers. Doing a quick 180, Kurumu used her illusion magic to manipulate same metal bars left behind a few inactive hover-carts to come to life and warp around small groups of DNAliens, as well as flying at them and kicking them down since there wasn't much of the metal to utilize.

Some more DNAliens appeared from both sides ahead of the group, which Inner Moka made short work of them using her speed and power. **"The things I do for you..."** she muttered in a low voice before going after another small horde. While she was impressed Ben figured out their weakness... would it hurt him to have used XLR8 to help her with crowd control instead?

More DNAliens appeared from the front, armed with laser guns. Gwen figured she'd take care of this. With Cooper behind her, she fired balls of mana at some of the DNAliens and knocking them off their feet. While she was doing that, another DNAlien tried jumping Cooper from the roof to take him hostage...

POW! CRASH!

Inner Moka came to the rescue this time, sending that DNAlien into a building. Of course she knew these things were part human, but she reduced the power of her kicks so they won't in pain... too much.

 **"Watch your back"** she said dryly, also appearing in front of Cooper, giving him a good view of her behind since he was short. Paralyzed, he couldn't look away. Inner Moka felt a pair of eyes on her, and sure enough saw Cooper after turning her neck a bit. **"What are you looking at?"** She growled with her energy flaring, demanding an answer. Cooper, both amazed and shocked by Inner Moka's display of power (and her temper), couldn't respond. Inner Moka's eyes seemed to pierce right into his soul.

She would have taught him his place by kicking him into the stratosphere if Gwen didn't put up a mana wall between them. "Let's not and say he knows his place. Stay behind me, Cooper" she said, attempting to reason with the proud vampire before she hurt someone innocent, and getting that innocent person as far away from said vampire as possible before she went off.

Cooper folded his hands to together, almost swooning. "Just like when Princess..."

Gwen cut him off. "And DON'T talk."

When the team was about a few yards away, a huge horde of DNAliens came swarming out of nowhere, laser guns and all. Even with Kurumu swooping down and Inner Moka kicking them across the abandoned complex, there was way too many of them! Gwen had to put up a mana wall to protect herself and everyone from laser fire.

"Kevin. Give me a boost" said Echo-Echo.

"Terrific..." Kevin groaned, raising Echo-Echo above his head. He hoped the discomfort would fade away quickly...

"Another blast, Gwen... a BIG one!" Said Echo-Echo. "Nrgh! Kinda busy right now!" His cousin answered, still blocking the incoming barrage.

Inner Moka appeared from behind. **"Hold still..."**

BAM!

With a kick, she made Kevin vibrate for days, also denting his back. The expression on his face was worse than when Gwen hit him. Taking advantage of it, Echo-Echo was able to summon a huge storm of sounds waves that was higher pitched than the last one. It was so strong, snow fell from building like small avalanches, all objects vibrated except the giant arch, and even Ben's own team was affected. Kurumu had to grab her ears and land as slowly as possible. When it was finally done, not a single DNAlien was moving, but all of the teams ears wouldn't stop ringing.

"Are we done?... Please say yes" moaned Kevin, having enough of being a walking bell tower. He was also the only one who couldn't hold his ears since his had no control of his boy due to the Varsidium, and he also holding Echo-Echo.

"Nice going, Moka! Now I can't hear shit!" Complained Kurumu, which was a bit of an exaggeration. Did her ears hurt? Absolutely. But nothing she couldn't recover from. As she uncovered her ears; for once, Inner Moka couldn't disagree with the succubus. Maybe she kicked him a bit too hard.

 **"I kinda got a headache too..."** Vampire Ben groaned.

After a struggle, for more reasons than one, the team finally got up to the main cloaking projector. Just in time too, for Echo-Echo's symbol began beeping red before changing back into Ben. Kevin also shed his armor, seeing as it was no longer needed. "This thing it?" Asked Kurumu. To her, it actually looked like a bigger version of Cooper's prototype that got busted earlier.

"It is" Cooper confirmed.

 **"Good"** said Inner Moka, as she went to kick and destroy the cloaking device, wanting to finish this 'mission' and go home already. Once she did however, she noticed the location she struck somehow triggered an odd reaction. The impacted spot took on a blue hue, with ripple effects from the struck location. It appeared somewhat similar to the Anti Magilink Field from some popular anime in Japan that has been going on for quite a long while... about witches or something, which was actually a show Yukari liked and talked about constantly.

Inner Moka couldn't be bothered to think of the name at the moment.

"You won't be able to break through that" said Cooper, causing Inner Moka to look back with a face that said: _watch me_. Inner Moka kicked again, and again, and again and again and again, striking harder and faster each time. But no matter how hard she tried, the force field stayed active, seemingly immune to her strength. Even when Kurumu assisted (much to Inner Moka's chagrin), it STILL wasn't enough. "It has to be dismantled from the inside, I can do that" Cooper said as Kurumu and Inner Moka gasped for breath.

"That would've... been nice... to know" Kurumu said in-between breaths.

"Then do your thing, Coop" said Kevin.

While both girls hated to admit it, they weren't gonna be much use against alien tech, seeing they knew VERY little about it. The entire group watched Cooper approach the machine with a hand outstretched. While Ben, Gwen, and Kevin knew what he could do; it was Kurumu and Inner Moka whom stared in confusion. What was he doing? As he closed his eyes to concentrate, he stood there... then gasped. "What's wrong?" Ben asked him.

What Cooper saw... confused and scared, yet also intrigued him.

First, he saw some kind of missiles being loaded into chambers. Then the head of a DNAlien without a host jumping at him. After that, some kind of mechanism for... something. It looked like a giant rock with glowing cords/tentacles. Next was an army of DNAliens coming out of a hiding spot, more DNAliens operating a machine, DNAliens again, a pair of Highbreeds' activating that same mechanism by placing they're hands on it. Finally; Cooper saw a large army of battleships, a castle-like building in the middle of nowhere with kids in matching uniforms surrounded by a large blood-red lake... and the Earth itself exploding into millions of tiny pieces.

Shocked at what he saw, trying to make sense of it, Cooper shook his head and lowered his hand.

"Er, you ok kid?" Asked Kurumu.

"What's the matter?" Gwen asked.

 **"Can you destroy this thing or not?"** Asked Inner Moka, impatiently.

"... I saw... equations... machines... another planet... and a school, I think?" Cooper said, not too sure himself what this experience was about. This had never happened to him before, at least not to this extent.

"Figure it out later! Crash the cloak!" Ordered Ben, not wanting to waste anymore time. Did he want to know what the vision Cooper saw was about? Right now, no. They've spent too much time here as it is, and need to get a move on before more DNAliens show up or worse, they bring some Highbreed officers with them.

Nodding, Cooper complied and tried again. His eyes glowing with power. This caused the machine to vibrate and rumble before lifted off the ground by an unseen force. Both Kurumu and Inner Moka were shocked to see this. Was THAT the kid doing this?! Suddenly; the giant projector began to come apart in a swirling mess of metal, cords, pipes, sheets, nuts, bots... you name it. Both monsters didn't think something like this was possible, was this human a half-alien or something? When Cooper was down, he released whatever power he was using, and the parts fell to the ground due to gravity.

"Gwen!" Ben's next order was. Doing just that, Gwen created a giant rectangle of mana, and swung it down like a hammer, destroying all the parts used on the cloak so it couldn't be rebuilt.

"Done! Now we just gotta..." said Gwen, but that's when laser fire came at them. It was more DNAliens, the largest swarm of the night!

Both Inner Moka and Kurumu took the initiative and engaged the swarm. Kurumu used her illusion power to make the walls of nearby houses shift into large hands and grab handfuls of DNAliens, either tossing them away or at more DNAliens. She of course, also flew into some and sliced away or kick them down. Inner Moka, like before, used her speed and power to send them packing.

 **"GET MOVING!"** Inner Moka said.

"START THE CAR! WE'LL CATCH UP!" Said Kurumu.

"You heard them! Let's go!" Kevin said, not having to be told twice. He and the rest of the team booked it as fast as they're feet could carry them while the 2 monsters' kept the numbers of the DNAliens down, but this wasn't gonna work forever. They were cutting it VERY close! "Should park closer to town next time" he continued while they were running from laser fire. Once he, Ben, Gwen and Cooper were on board; Kevin inserted the keys, started the engine, shifted the gear and with the tires screeching and exhaust smoking, off they drove into the night.

Hearing the car drive off, Inner Moka kicked the ground, making a small shock wave to disbalance the DNAliens. With them distracted, both she and Kurumu took off running/flying after the fleeing car. By the time the DNAliens got to the edge of the complex, the interlopers were far down the street, out of range of their laser guns.

"Their getting away!" Said one DNAlien.

"Organize transport for pursuit!" Said another DNAlien.

"No... let them go..." said a new voice, coming from behind them. It was a Highbreed officer whom was stationed here, having been notified by all the commotion, but too late to do anything about it. "The project at hand is too important. We can't afford anymore delays... not when we're so close..." he continued, watching for himself as the trespassing vermin scurried off like frightened mice. "... get the back-up projector online. Now."

-TIME BREAK-

As Kevin's car drove miles and miles away from Los Soledad, he finally slowed down to park on the side of the road. When they got out of the car, Inner Moka and Kurumu had showed up.

"Everyone alright?" Asked Kevin.

When Kevin asked this, Cooper happened to look in the direction where they came from. "They're not chasing us?" He asked, as that seemed odd. The DNAliens tried everything in their power to stop them, yet they won't try to silence them by giving chase?

"Why not? We trashed their hive" said Kurumu, agreeing with Cooper. It didn't make sense why those freaks would let them go free after all the damage they caused.

"They don't need too" said Kevin.

 **"They use those ID Mask thingys' anyway. Anyone who goes there would just see _normal_ humans walking around in an abandoned ghost town"** Inner Moka added.

"We still don't know what they really want, or what they're doing in Los Soledad... Cooper? Can we count on...?" Ben said, then started to ask if Cooper would be up for helping them, but noticed him going starry-eyed at a certain Anodite and vampire.

"Whatever you need..." Cooper cooed.

 **"OH, THAT'S I-!"** Inner Moka said, not really ticked off by Coopers stares, but Gwen put up a mana wall in between them before she could move... though Gwen could relate to the vampire to some degree. Ben and Kevin smiled at this, which both girls immediately noticed and glared at them.

 **Gwen:** Not...

**Inner Moka: A word.**

The group eventually got back on the road and headed back to Bellwood. They dropped Cooper off at his home, and went they're separate ways. Gwen heading home herself, Kevin going wherever it was he goes, and Ben and the 2 monsters' getting back to the Tennyson residence. Even though they came home late, Sandra and Carl didn't hold it against them this time, figuring they were out doing hero stuff. As Ben laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling with his arms behind his head... one thing was for sure...

Someday... they'll have to go back...

-TIME BREAK-

Back at Los Soledad a few hours later, the trucker who saw that immense beam of light and large towers earlier had called the local sheriff to report what he saw. When they got to the abandoned complex, their were 3 workers in hardhats working to repair the holes in the walls. 2 were dressed in grey shirts, and the 3rd was dressed in red, meaning he must be in charge. The Sheriff asked for documents, just to make sure not only everything was ok... but also LEGAL, to which the workers happily offered without delay.

"Hmm... deed to the land... resumes... construction permits... everything looks shipshape" said the Sheriff after going through all the papers the workers provided on a clipboard. Everything checked out, he even called the company itself and they confirmed all this was true. Seemed like nothing out of the ordinary... plus, there were no 'towers' here at all, just a rundown city in the middle of nowhere that hasn't been used since the 50's. A another false alarm, not to his surprise...

"I swear, Sheriff! I know what I saw! There was a giant beam'a light, then a bunch'a huge towers and..." the trucker tried to explain, sure what he saw was real.

"Must be the desert playing tricks on you," assured the red-shirted worker. "We've been out here for months and as you can see, we haven't even gotten that far" he continued, then gestured behind him. There were no towers in sight.

"Sorry to bother you, sir... still don't know who'd wanna build a mall in the middle of nowhere" said the Sheriff, apologizing for this misunderstanding and handing the clipboard back.

"Yes, you'll find our company is very ambitious and forward-thinking, Sheriff. Some day... this will be where _everything's_ happening" said the worker.

"... well, alright then. Have a good night" said the Sheriff, going back into his car with the trucker going back into his own truck. As the trucker started the engine to drive off, he couldn't help but think, maybe he DID just imagine it. The Sheriff also started his own car, and happened to look out the window to see the worker waving kindly at him, which he returned with a smile and drove off himself. As both humans left and off into the night themselves...

The workers dropped the act, and tore at their faces, revealing that they were 2 DNAliens and the Highbreed wearing ID Masks. "Continue to work. The time of cleansing... is nearly at hand" said the Highbreed, ducking a bit to go inside the hole in the wall with the 2 DNAliens following him. As they did; the same ripple effect when Ben walked through triggered, showing they had gotten the new projector up and running, as the chapter closes on a shot of the arch and towers in the distance...


End file.
